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EditoR’S NotE

JuNE 23, 2016 | Vol. 28, iSSuE 10

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33 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.

Editor Rachel Leibrock Associate Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Arts & Culture Editor Janelle Bitker Assistant Editor Anthony Siino Editorial Coordinator Becca Costello Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Alastair Bland, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Willie Clark, Deena Drewis, Joey Garcia, Cosmo Garvin, Blake Gillespie, Lovelle Harris, Jeff Hudson, Jim Lane, Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Patti Roberts, Ann Martin Rolke, Shoka, Bev Sykes, Graham Womack Editorial Intern Kris Hooks

34 Design Manager Lindsay Trop Art Directors Brian Breneman, Margaret Larkin Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Marketing/Publications Design Manager Serene Lusano Marketing/Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Contributing Photographers Lisa Baetz, Darin Bradford, Kevin Cortopassi, Evan Duran, Luke Fitz, Jon Hermison, Shoka, Lauran Fayne Worthy Director of Sales and Advertising Corey Gerhard Sales Coordinator Joanna Graves Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Olla Swanson, Joy Webber, Kelsi White Advertising Consultants Angel De La O, Stephanie Johnson, Lee Roberts Sales Assistant Matt Kjar Director of First Impressions David Lindsay Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Daniel Bowen, Heather Brinkley, Allen Brown, Mike Cleary, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, Rob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Garry Foster, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Greg Meyers, Aswad Morland,

63 Kenneth Powell, Gilbert Quilatan, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Jonathan Taea N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Writers Kate Gonzales, Anne Stokes, Natasha vonKaenel Senior N&R Publications Consultant Dave Nettles N&R Publications Consultants Elena Ruiz, Julie Sherry President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Human Resources Manager David Stogner Marketing/Promotions/Facilities Manager Will Niespodzinski Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Business Manager Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Dargitz Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Specialist/HR Coordinator Courtney DeShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Fax (916) 498-7910 Website www.newsreview.com

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Liberty for none Last week, waiting to board a flight, I found myself sitting next to a young man. He was watching as a TV replayed segments of Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy’s June 15 filibuster, staged to force a vote on two gun control measures.

After a moment, he turned to his friend. “You can take my guns away, but it’s going to end in a bloody battle; that’s my right,” he declared.

It’s common, this angry belief that gun control measures proposed to prevent the kinds of massacre that happened in Orlando on June 12 are a threat to liberty.

It’s a belief echoed in emails I received after writing about how the Orlando shooting (See “Sorrow and rage” by Rachel Leibrock, SN&R Editor’s Note, June 16) must lead to political change.

For such critics, it’s an “us vs. them” mentality. For them, gun control efforts are delusional.

“Let’s propose all your fantasies come true and The Government somehow bans the sale of rifles with detachable mags tomorrow,” one reader wrote. “Wow, that feels good!, but what do you propose to do about the millions of now banned rifles that are in the homes of citizens?”

On Monday, the Senate rejected four gun control measures, including two Murphy had pushed for: expanded background checks and tougher controls on the federal terrorist watch list.

Heartbreakingly, even in the wake of 49 killed, there’s little room for political nuance, empathy for lives lost or reasonable change.

Us vs. them, indeed—is that really liberty?

—Rachel leibRock r a c h e ll@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

sn&R is printed at bay area news Group on recycled newsprint. circulation of sn&R is verified by the circulation verification council. sn&R is a member of sacramento Metro chamber of commerce, cnPa, aan and aWn.

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The Couch located at San Juan and Madison [avenues].

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Civil unrest Re “Sorrow and rage” by Rachel Leibrock (SN&R Editor’s Note, June 16): America leads the world in mass shootings. Why? National news media attention is like a vector that reaches people who are vulnerable. These disaffected people can be infected by the attention other angry, disturbed people get by becoming mass killers.

Killing former colleagues, schoolmates or groups of strangers in a final, suicidal spasm serves not only as an act of revenge but as a way of forcing the world to be aware of the killer’s inner torment.

These very public attacks also give the killer the fame that eluded him in his failed life. They fantasize about going out in a blaze of glory.

Revenge over real and imagined slights, the desire for attention and fame, and delusions—all can play a role.

The United States is by far the world leader in this gruesome category. The U.S. has five times the number of mass shootings as the next-highest country. Why? The most obvious reason is the U.S.’s unique gun culture. The U.S. easily has the most guns per capita of any country in the world, with an estimated 310 million guns in circulation—roughly one for every American—and lax gun laws. It’s not hard for delusional or vengeful people to procure a semi-automatic handgun or rifle.

Can anything be done? In a civil society, what does anyone need with a military-style weapon?

Ron Lowe nev ada C i t y

Re “Arsenic and a bad taste”

by Corey Rodda (SN&R News, June 9): Thank you for raising awareness about the problem of unsafe water in schools and the vital need for California to track and address the problem.

It is unfortunate that this story suggests our report (available at http://bit.ly/1T1bSNv) was flawed, but we appreciate that in this misunderstanding of the data, a key issue is raised. State agencies, local school districts, and advocates like ourselves lack access to sufficient information to adequately assess the magnitude of the problem of unsafe drinking water in schools. Better state-level monitoring of water quality in schools is needed to ensure that our children have safe drinking water at school.

Luckily, the State Assembly, with active support from the Community Water Center and a broad coalition of advocates, has

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advanced a budget package that prioritizes improved drinkingwater data collection as well as funding to address the problem of unsafe water in schools. This funding is crucial to ensuring that schools across California with stories like the one at Franklin Elementary School will receive the funds they need to secure interim and lasting drinking-water solutions.

Jenny Rempel Community Water Center

On lasT Week’s feaTure sTOry, “The Many faCes Of Oak Park”: Glad to see Cactus Ray on the cover of @SacNewsReview . He’s motivated me through my service at St. HOPE. #OakPark @SacNewsReview

@Rubenmoody87 Great story by @SacNewsReview on #OakPark

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Teach them morals Re “Locks and chains” by Dave Kempa (SN&R News, June 9): Theft is not about socioeconomic standing. It’s not about race. It’s about morals. Thieves have no morals. There is no rationalizing theft.

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online Buzz contributions are not edited for grammar, spelling or clarity.

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The Sacramento Regional Transit District avoided service cuts and balanced its budget through administrative layoffs unions have described as discriminatory.

Dysfunction junction Sacramento RT’s attempts to balance budget stirs union outcry, claims of discriminatory firings

by Graham Womack

With the July 1 start of its new fiscal year speeding toward it like a light-rail express train, the Sacramento Regional Transit District erased a $3.1 million deficit last week, balancing its budget and narrowly avoiding service cuts to its receding bus lines. But with ridership numbers down and funding uncertain, something had to give.

So days prior to its June 13 board of directors meeting, RT covered roughly half of its shortfall by cutting 20 administrative positions.

Cue the fallout.

The unions representing those positions criticized the move as 8 | SN&R | 06.23.16

disproportionately affecting minority employees and women. It’s a sensitive subject since RT is defending an ongoing discrimination lawsuit initiated by its maintenance department. Union officials are also criticizing a retirement package they believe is too generous for departing RT General Manager Mike Wiley.

In some ways, the drama is par for the course for a transit system that has faced mounting financial pressures ever since the recession. But it comes at an inopportune time, with the Golden 1 Center months from opening and regional governments advancing two big-ticket proposals that could affect the next three decades of

regional transportation needs—as well as RT’s own funding fortunes.

Unions had been bracing for the layoffs, but they still stung.

Corina De La Torre, vice president of the Local 256 for the Amalgamated Transit Union, said that all but one of the employees RT let go was a woman, a minority or both.

(RT hasn’t released a list of affected employees. Therefore, SN&R was unable to independently verify these figures.)

“There was no rhyme or reason to [RT’s] madness, let’s put it that way,” said De La Torre, whose union lost no

Photo BY IStoCK/JERRY MoRRMAN

employees but had four reassigned to other positions. “They’re not ATU, so I shouldn’t care.”

“They targeted people of color,” added Camille Tyler, president of the administrative unit for the Local 146 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, which lost seven employees.

Wiley said his staff conducted thorough analysis before recommending the cuts and didn’t discriminate.

“We’re not about that,” he told SN&R. “We definitely did not want to be focused on minorities and women. In fact, our goals are the opposite.”

Meanwhile, union members put the layoffs in an unflattering context by claiming that RT’s board of directors quietly amended Wiley’s contract last November 9 to allow him an additional $75,612 per year in retirement benefits— on top of the $210,000 he’s already due annually.

Wiley said these dollar amounts represent a maximum possible value he’s unlikely to reach.

He also said that, in amending his contract last November after he announced

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the Nazis are comiNg his retirement, the board was simply tidying up language from two previous contracts dating to his February 2008 selection as general manager and that he was always slated to receive that money.

Those contracts, which SN&R reviewed with Wiley at RT headquarters, include language about RT covering some of Wiley’s deferred compensation and supplemental benefits.

“The reality is that my contract has always had this provision built in it, right from the start,” Wiley said. “This is not new. Now I know that some of our employees have looked at this and said, ‘Well, geez, you got this sweetheart deal last November.’ That’s as far from the truth as you can say.”

That’s not to say the deal wasn’t sweetened in one respect.

At the June 13 meeting, Fabrizio Sasso, executive director of the Central Labor Council, sharply criticized the board’s decision to award Wiley a personal services contract for $24,299 through November 2017—on top of his retirement benefits—to serve on the executive committee of the California Transit Association and to assist newly appointed GM Henry Li’s transition into the role.

The contract came at the board’s urging.

“That’s insane,” Sasso told the directors.

“That’s like asking an arsonist to train a firefighter.”

After Li takes over July 1, Wiley will receive $175,283 for his general manager contract through December 31, which doesn’t include his personal services contract.

“It’s ridiculous,” said AFSCME’s RT Supervisor President Rod Beverly, whose wife was among the ousted employees and whose union lost two employees. “This is not Microsoft. It’s Regional Transit.” rt remains at a critical juncture.

Beyond the staff reductions, the district made up its $3.1 million shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year by securing $1.2 million from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, which agreed to redirect the money from their capital program.

RT also cut $270,000 in nonpersonnel costs and got some of its labor groups to agree to a “significant decrease in annual salary adjustments,” a release states.

As RT cobbles together its operating budget and fends off labor accusations, it remains unclear how or whether this latest skirmish will affect a pair of transportation measures that could come before voters.

First, on June 14, the Sacramento City picket or refuse to cross picket lines in Council approved roughly $3.5 million for the event of labor disputes. a downtown streetcar project that could be There could also be pushback from used, in part, to ferry Kings fans from parkATU, which represents RT’s arguably most ing lots to the new arena. Council members specialized workers—its train operators and approved the spending during a procedural line maintenance workers. vote adopting multiple items, without De La Torre didn’t know of any discussion. action brewing. But she expressed The city has moved quickly to secure outrage at the way the terminated matching funds for the 3.3-mile streetcar employees were treated, which she said line since President Barack Obama’s included an undercover police officer budget recommended $75 million for it escorting them from the building. in February, but may still need “I have never in my 36 years [of nearby property owners to tax working for RT] seen the disrethemselves to fund a portion spect that was shown to these of its operating costs. people,” De La Torre said.

“This is not Local voters narrowly Wiley countered rejected that very idea that RT is covering the Microsoft. It’s last spring. employees’ medical Regional Transit.”

In partnership with insurance expenses for the city, RT executed six months, is providRod Beverly the first phase of a ing paid administrative supervisor union president, American $10 million design leave during the first Federation of State, County and contract for the streetcar month of the layoffs and Municipal Employees at its April 25 meeting, approved $500 severances an hour before the board per service year in some began discussing possible cases, five times above what service reductions. some of the union contracts call for.

Regardless of the streetcar, the “You don’t just lay people off willydistrict expects increased ridership to the nilly,” Wiley said.

Golden 1 Center, whose opening helped Roughly half of the terminated employmotivate RT’s board to keep Wiley on ees were members of the Management beyond July 1. Wiley said RT is pursuing Confidential Employee Group and the a $1.5 million sponsorship deal to cover Administrative Employees Association increased operations costs and provide unions, which have neither striking nor free transportation to the arena. picketing rights. But they’re working under Then there’s Measure B, the Sacramento a contract that expired in 2013, which could Transportation Authority’s $3.6 billion tax be a game-changer. measure to fund regional transportation projA Southern California labor attorney ects. RT would receive roughly $1 billion of who spoke to SN&R on background said that money over 30 years. that, under federal labor law, no-strike The initiative had cleared six of seven clauses don’t apply to expired collective city councils and the county board of bargaining agreements, or CBAs. supervisors as of press time, with the Isleton Public transit districts in the state are City Council expected to vote June 22. subject to California law, which often Assuming Isleton signs off, Measure B borrows from federal labor law, the attorney will still need approval from two-thirds of said. He thought it very likely employees county voters to pass in November. under expired CBAs could strike.

If it does pass, RT will be restricted Sasso and others would like to see the in how it gets to spend its share of the 20 employees reinstated, which RT has up windfall. It will have to use 75 percent to 45 days to do before the terminations of its funds over the first five years for become final. Sasso said he has a specific repairs, rather than capital projects the course of action outlined if this doesn’t district desires, such as extending light happen, though he declined to elaborate. rail service to Sacramento International “We’re taking this very seriously,” he Airport. told SN&R. Tyler isn’t relaxing, either. meanwhile, rt’s six unions face limited “There’s the possibility of two more options for protesting the staff cuts. of these cuts coming, which they’re not Every union RT contracts with, telling anybody, but they hint around it,” except for ATU, has a no-strike clause Tyler said. in its latest collective bargaining agreeWiley denied the rumors. Ω ment with RT. Four of RT’s unions can

One week after hundreds of peaceful demonstrators flipped a Sacramento pastor’s homophobic rants against him by organizing a pro-lgbt block party on his church’s doorstep, another clash between hate and tolerance is expected.

But this one could turn ugly.

For weeks now, Sacramento has simmered with anxious rumors that neo-Nazis would descend on the state capitol for a rally this coming Sunday.

Indeed, the California Highway Patrol granted a permit to the Traditionalist Worker Party to hold an event on the Capitol’s west side from noon to 2 p.m. on June 26, according to online state permit records. The group, which identified itself on the permit as “a political party whos [sic] agenda is traditional american values,” projected a turnout of about 50 like minds.

Founded by matthew heimbach, a white nationalist who shoved a black female protester at a donald trump rally earlier this year, the Traditionalist Worker Party espouses the idea that white people are under siege and supports strict racial segregation. But it couches its beliefs in terms like “ethnic consciousness.”

The golden state skinheads, a white nationalist “social club,” according to its website, has been promoting the TWP event, deepening the link between the political group and the neo-Nazi agenda.

CHP Capitol Bureau spokesman Sgt. Steve White told SN&R his office is obligated to grant permits as long as those seeking them complete an application and agree to follow the rules for being on state property, regardless of their message.

The CHP can revoke a permit, however, if it “determines that any activity covered by such permit is creating or causing risk[,] injury or illness to persons; risk of damage or destruction to property,” among other things, the State Capitol grounds rules state.

Social media has been abuzz with the possibility of violent confrontations, White acknowledged.

Antifa Sacramento, a new local chapter of the Anti-Fascist Action Network that started three decades ago in London, has been stirring up support for a counterdemonstration on social media since April 12. The group is aiming for 500 attendees to appear for what it’s described as a “showdown” in fliers and other materials.

While not encouraging violence, Antifa Sacramento isn’t insisting against it, either. In a May 2 post, the group said that it favored “a multi-faceted approach to fighting racism.”

“This means that individual people have their own methods of combating hate and we do not criticize others tactics,” the post continued. “Our objective is never violence. We believe that hate should not have a platform in our community and we are determined to shut them down.”

White said the CHP and Sacramento Police Department had coordinated on a security strategy to insure both the demonstration and counterprotest remain “peaceful.” (Raheem F. Hosseini)

sheriff oN the defeNse As he prepares for a winner-take-all election in November, Republican congressional candidate and Sacramento County sheriff scott Jones found himself hit on two fronts for his staunch support of permissive gun laws in the wake of the Orlando massacre.

Last week, Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna unsuccessfully attempted to stop the county from subsidizing Jones’ generous apportionment of conceal-carry permits, which have risen approximately 95 percent under his watch.

Meanwhile, rep. ami bera accused Jones of opposing legislation that would ban those on terror watch and no-fly lists from purchasing guns, calling the sheriff’s stance “radical.” (RFH)

06.23.16 | SN&R | 9

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Parlor politics Behind the little-known massage certification group that Sacramento County rejected

by Raheem F. hosseini

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

Still, Netanel says his group neither encourages Under a state law that went into effect last nor discourages local governments to require year, a tax-exempt private entity with a financial CMTC certification, even with its financial fortunes stake in the massage industry has been spreading its at stake. influence to numerous local jurisdictions. But the “We are totally neutral about it,” said Netanel, California Massage Therapy Council has yet to rub who became executive director in 2010 and has Sacramento County the right way. seen his annual salary increase 14 percent between The CMTC is a little-known group that makes 2012 and 2014, to $302,325. “It is something that millions of dollars annually by certifying massage happens organically.” professionals around the state.

In February, a written report to the CMTC board Created in 2009 by state legislation, the CMTC estimated that at least 151 counties and cities had established what it calls a “voluntary” certification begun requiring its certification before massage process. While not required, a CMTC certification professionals could do business in their jurisdicis recognized anywhere in the state, as opposed to tions. Another 22 jurisdictions were in the process local certification, which might only be good in the of drafting similar proposals. town where it’s obtained.

Sacramento County is not one of those jurisdicThe CMTC is not a “quasi-governmental” tions. And Fuson, a CMTC board member, isn’t regulatory body, Executive Director Ahmos advocating to change that.

Netanel is careful to point out. But it’s “Two-thirds of the people we easy to mistake it for one, as state arrest happen to have their certificalawmakers created the group and “It is sort of tion,” he said. “It is sort of an expanded its role. industry-based group.”

In January 2015, an industry-based Netanel contends that Gov. Jerry Brown signed group.”

CMTC’s certification process the Massage Therapy Act, was robust even before lawmakwhich, among other things, Guy Fuson ers increased training requireboosted the CMTC’s tax and finance manager, ments, and is fond of saying that profile by incentivizing Sacramento County Department a CMTC certificate “is the hardest local governments to require of Finance to get and the easiest to lose.” its certification.

“Even if they were not convicted CMTC’s bottom line hangs in of prostitution, we will revoke their the balance. certificate,” he said.

The group’s revenues, which come Kristen DiAngelo, an activist and former escort almost entirely from certification fees, dropped in who founded the Sacramento chapter of the Sex 2015 for the first time in at least four years, accordWorkers Outreach Project, said overvigilance can ing to CMTC financial statements and IRS data. put consenting sex workers and trafficking victims Last year, CMTC recorded $4.4 million in revenue, alike in more desperate conditions. almost 7 percent less than the previous year. The “Traffickers don’t go, ‘Oh damn, my girls can group is projecting another decline this year, with no longer work there. Guess I’ll stop,’” she said. less than $4 million expected.

Instead, the victims are moved to another location, Because the Massage Therapy Act doubled the increasing their danger. “Every time a victim is amount of training required to become a certified relocated, their chances of survival diminishes.” massage practitioner to 500 hours (an amount According to Fuson, diploma mill massage already required for certified massage therapists), schools, which essentially sell certificates without fewer new applications are coming in. But CMTC administering the required training, cause the may eventually make that money back as more primary problem for local regulators, who have to local governments require its certification, making honor the certificates as valid. its “voluntary” process less voluntary.

The Massage Therapy Act put CMTC in charge “It hasn’t reached that critical mass yet,” said of approving these schools, but a regulatory patchSacramento County tax and finance manager work remains.

Guy Fuson, who helped craft new massage busi“What we need that we still do not have is a ness regulations intended to weed out fronts for good gatekeeper,” Fuson said. Ω prostitution.

One writer remembers how the gay bars of her 20s offered identity and acceptance

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In the olden days—meaning when I was a young adult in the 1970s in Sacramento—coming out meant getting brave enough to tell your parents and a few friends that you were in love with your “roommate.” It didn’t mean getting to walk down the street holding hands with your girlfriend or leaning across the table to kiss her during a romantic dinner at a restaurant.

In those days, almost all public displays of affection were limited to a dark little bar called the Casino Club on 16th Street.

Given the relatively small gay community here at the time, there was usually only one bar in business at a time, so when that one closed, there was the Crescent Moon on Broadway, the Hawaiian Hut in West Sac, and later the Blue Moon on Franklin Boulevard.

Outside the world of “The Bar,” as we called whatever establishment we were frequenting at the time, we all lived our own little semicloseted lives. Inside, we could be who we each felt we really were, without fear of reprisal.

This is what I thought about that past Sunday when I heard about the massacre in Orlando. As a 65-year-old lesbian, I am the first to admit that the world is much more accepting of my tribe than it was when I was in my early 20s and trying out my identity for the first time. But I also know that many gays and lesbians, young and old, still feel the need for a safe haven, a place where they can dress however they want to, where they can be the person they have always felt they were, without shame.

I haven’t been to a gay bar in years—the last time was an evening at Faces with straight friends who were looking for a fun place to party. But in the early days, we went to laugh and drink Miller Lite and dance to Donna Summer and even play pool, although I was terrible at it. I could wear Levi’s and button-down shirts, without feeling like I looked too “dykey,” or that people were looking at me and wonderInside the bar, ing if I was “like that.” we could be who Over the years I’ve gone to gay we each felt we bars in San Francisco, Oakland, even New York, and the feeling is really were, without always the same—like coming home fear of reprisal. to my people. And for us, there was no disgrace there, only acceptance and the sense that, within those walls, we were just like everyone else.

This is by no means meant to take the emphasis off the gun control aspect of the Orlando shootings. Nothing diminishes that.

But the invasion of what most of those patrons undoubtedly saw as a refuge reminds me of how few places people like us have in the world, places where we are welcomed for being who we are.

I think back on those days at the Casino Club, trying to aim that cue ball to get at least one ball into a pocket. I never mastered it, but I felt my own true power on those nights, and the heady freedom of getting to carry it inside me while I was there.Ω

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no longer produced our Call for Unity Religion has been linked with hate and interfaith event. I have now been to violence in recent news. First, when over 150 different faith services around Omar Mateen declared his allegiance to Sacramento. the Islamic State before killing 49 people This has given me a real appreciation and wounding 53 at a gay nightclub for organized religion. While services in Orlando, Fla. And then, here in are all different—different music, differSacramento, when a minister at Verity Baptist Church, Roger Jimenez, preached ent religious texts, different preaching styles—the similarities are clearly more in favor of the killing. He said, “God has important. In all of the services I have put a death penalty” on gays, and that attended, I have seen love. I have seen Orlando was now a safer place. communities that protect and care for It is frightening when individuals their children. I have seen respect for do and say horrific things in the name both young and old, and incredible of organized religion. Human beings generosity of both time and money. individually and in groups do evil things, This week, and every week, hundreds in the name of political ideology, in of thousands of Sacramento the name of corporations and in residents attended services, the name of racial purity. hearing a message that gave Unfortunately, the capacity them strength and hope in for evil is inherent in our In all of the their lives. And they gave very being. generously, with money But then so is goodservices I have to support their faith ness. Giving of oneself. attended, I have group, but also to help the Feeling joy when helping seen love. homeless, support young others. Being part of people, provide food and something bigger and better shelter for those in need here than yourself. All of this too, and throughout the world and to is part of us. And it is this goodprovide comfort for their members. But ness that I have seen over and over in the even more impressive than the money Sacramento religious community. that was donated was the time donated I accidentally became an organized every week to help those in need: to visit religion expert. For the first anniversary the sick, to comfort those who have lost of September 11, I impulsively rented out Memorial Auditorium to hold a Call a loved one, to counsel the troubled.

The list is endless. It is what I have seen for Unity interfaith music event. Then during my time sitting in the pews that I started going to services to audition has made me a believer. A believer in choirs.

Not only did I find phenomenal musi- people coming together to help each other and to become better people. cal groups throughout the Sacramento That is what I see, when I think of religious community, but I also found organized religion. The many people Sacramento. Our town’s diversity and coming together to do good, rather than our cultural richness can be discovered the small minority who cause harm and at these diverse services. There is no preach evil. Ω admission charge. You just show up, and sit down and stand up, and then sit down again, for around an hour and Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority a half. And I have continued to go to owner of the News & Review. different religious services, even after we

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Just days after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conneticut, filibustered for nearly 15 hours. Aided by 40 senators, Murphy staged an epic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington scene, calling on colleagues to vote on two key issues: banning those on the government’s “No Fly List” from getting gun licenses, and expanding background checks to gun shows and internet sales. Frustratingly, the Senate voted against both measures on Monday. Still, the good senator made a critical (and exhausting) point nonetheless.

A crowd estimated to number nearly 1,000 protestors rallied outside the Verity Baptist

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. t a E . e k a W . p E e U e S S l I S H C N U R B s ’ SN&R he

dishes on t

Brunch is about excess.

No one needs bacon and eggs and pancakes and sausage and bottomless mimosas to kick off a Sunday morning. But doesn’t that sound awesome?

Brunch wins the meal competition because it automatically signals the weekend. It’s fun, social and leisurely—an activity in its own right. Plus, it cures hangovers, or starts new ones.

With that in mind, SN&R set out to find the best brunch in

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a R t iN d aNN M n a k c l e iB R o R ac h e l

1

lle

by Ja N e

B it k e R ,

Rolke

The best brunch in Sacramento

Bacon & Butter

ES AN NE St oK Ph ot o BY

As specialists in the trade, perhaps the folks at Bacon & Butter have an unfair advantage in this friendly competition. But Bacon & Butter hits it out of the park every brunch service.

Chef Billy Zoellin started his experiment in egg mastery at Club 21 in Midtown, where he only had the kitchen for breakfast and lunch.

Turns out, he found an untapped niche in Sacramento for high-quality brunch dishes. Now at a much bigger location in Tahoe Park, Bacon & Butter packs people in regularly, with hour-long waits on the weekends. You can make a reservation with eight or more eaters, so gather up a crowd and book a table.

The menu changes frequently but is always impressively varied.

For simpler appetites, the flapjacks wow with ultrathick buttermilk cakes topped with warm syrup and butter. Cascades of diced seasonal fruit add a healthy factor.

It’s not in everything, but for a place with bacon in the name, you expect gourmet rashers, and Zoellin delivers. Look for thick-cut bacon and other pork products throughout the menu, such as the don’t-miss biscuit sandwich. A griddled flaky biscuit teeters with bacon, caramelized onions, eggs and chive mascarpone, plus a cheddar cheese skirt à la Squeeze Inn. Or, how about an omelet bursting with braised ham hock, mushrooms, Gouda cheese and shallots?

There’s a “lunchish” section with a refined burger, a “billy” club sandwich with zingy jalapeño aioli and fried green tomatoes with corn. You can even start your day drinking early with local drafts and ciders plus a few inventive cocktails.

All told, Bacon & Butter is No. 1 in our hearts for brunch because it manages to hit the sweet spot between old favorites and new ideas, while managing to expertly cook up to 1,400 eggs a day each weekend. Let’s just say Zoellin and his team know what they’re doing.

5913 Broadway, http://baconand buttersac.com. AMR

Photo BY ANNE StoKES

Don’t miss Bacon & Butter’s flaky biscuit sandwich.

Hello, cheese skirt.

Sacramento. In the past couple of months, we visited more than 25 local brunch spots searching for dishes and experiences that rise above the rest. Truth is, there are a lot of great options in this town, and our findings are by no means exhaustive.

Keep reading, and you’ll find our top three picks for Sacramento’s best overall brunch, as well as 10 individual dishes that blew us away.

ibes

nd v a s k n i r d , s l best mea

The flapjacks at Bacon & Butter.

Photo BY ANNE StoKES

2

A narrow second place

Magpie Cafe

It’s rare to find a succinct, 10-item brunch menu that avoids tradition but also manages to please just about everyone—especially vegetarians. Such is the case with the always-thoughtful Magpie Cafe.

Sure, there’s no eggs Benedict on the menu right now, but you can order two poached eggs over a bounty of seasonal veggies in a cast-iron skillet. Toss aside the boring Denver omelet found in other restaurants in favor of one with delicate yet bold smoked trout. Or, try the unusually light fried chicken with a supercrispy waffle, accompanied by a fruity flavor profile.

There are no mistakes here, though you’d be remiss to never try the savory bread pudding, a sweet-salty cube studded with bacon, salami and smoked chili

cheddar. It’s rich, dense and positively soaked with butter and maple syrup. If you’re trying to be healthy, why are you bothering with brunch? Alternatively, see the aforementioned skillet.

With plenty of natural light and the constant hum of activity, Magpie also feels like an ideal brunch spot. The coffee, from Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters, is excellent.

Instead of mimosas, the full bar serves an elderflower spritz with champagne, elderflower liqueur and club soda. And the service is always warm, cheery and efficient.

Plus, unlike Bacon & Butter, the brunch wait at Magpie is rarely horrendous. 1601 16th Street,

www.magpiecafe.com. J.B.

Light, supercrispy fried chicken and waffles at Magpie Cafe.

3

Finishing strong in third

contain just a bit of brandy for flavor.

Hammond’s specialty, the carnitas eggs Benedict turns the classic on its ear with sweet corn fritters and juicy carnitas layered with black bean puree, avocado, poached eggs and a spiced lime hollandaise. Dots of chipotle puree add smoky zing. Look for local tomatoes over the summer featured in dishes like a caprese omelet drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Taylor’s Kitchen stocks an impressive wine list, so enjoy a glass of wine or a mimosa made with a California sparkler. Then head next door to the market and buy ingredients for dinner. Sunday chores accomplished. 2924 Freeport Boulevard,

www.taylorskitchen.com. AMR

continued on page 19

For a less-obvious but excellent brunch, head over to Taylor’s Kitchen in Land Park. Serving brunch on Sundays only, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the kitchen turns out beautifully presented plates under the eye of Chef de Cuisine Jason Hammond.

With quiet music and overhead fans circulating a breeze, Taylor’s Kitchen offers a slightly more upscale atmosphere with attentive table service. The menu looks short, but it’s well-curated, with suitable options for all appetites.

Start with the Portuguese doughnuts, served warm with honey whipped cream and lots of cinnamon-sugar. They’re from an old family recipe of the Johnsons, who own Taylor’s Kitchen and Market, and

“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

Photo BY ANNE StoKES

Taylor’s Kitchen’s unique take on eggs Benedict features corn fritters and carnitas.

Taylor’s Kitchen

06.23.16 | SN&R | 17

Brunch O’

FUN! $12 bottomless mimosas $5 bloody marys

Beautiful Patio Seating!

1217 21st st 916.440.0401 Sacramento, CA www.kuproscrafthouse.com

18 | SN&R | 06.23.16

continued from page 17

“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

Caviar. Basically.

Fried Chicken Biscuits, Cask & Barrel Pimento cheese is having a national moment right now—chalk it up to our obsession with all things comforting, nostalgic and Southern. Find out why it’s often called “the caviar of the South” with chef Gabriel Glasier’s fried chicken biscuits ($11). Every bite sings with bold flavors and pleasing textures.

There’s the crispy, juicy chicken; flaky, buttery biscuits; zingy pickled radish; sweet-and-smoky chili honey; and, of course, that bright orange layer of rich, creamy pimento cheese. Each order comes with two of these sliders, which you could split for a brunch appetizer or hog for yourself.

1431 Del Paso Boulevard, http://caskandbarrel916.com. J.B.

The French know best

1525 Alhambra Boulevard, http://hawkspublichouse.com. J.B.

Soul of the South

Fried Chicken & Waffle, Pangaea Bier Cafe

Beignets, the Porch Restaurant & Bar The last time I went to the Porch, my server would not let me not order the beignets ($12). Seriously. She said it’d be a crime if I missed out, and sure enough, the New Orleans-style doughnuts were the star of the meal. Like little pillows of heaven, these freshly fried treats managed to be light and crisp and airy and substantial all at once. They come with fresh fruit, a shower of powdered sugar and a side dish of seasonal jam, which you should probably avoid for maximum, pure enjoyment.

You might not expect brunch at a seafood-focused, Japanese-leaning restaurant, but Skool on K manages to offer a mix of standard and surprising dishes. My favorite is Skool’s playful spin on chicken and waffles ($16). Instead of fried chicken, Skool tops its waffle with a panko-breaded and fried oyster, which remains juicy and briny. A side of tartare made of Japanese pickled mustard greens keeps thing bright, pungent and interesting. Throw in a creamy, soft-boiled egg, ginjo-soaked golden raisins, a side of fruit and maple syrup, and you’re probably thinking, “There’s no way all that stuff works together.” Prepare to be proved wrong. 2319 K Street, http://skool

Rosemary Plate, Orphan Breakfast House Fans of rosemary—that woodsy, fragrant herb—will love this offering from the popular East Sacramento breakfast spot. The Rosemary Plate ($9) features a very healthy serving of rosemary potatoes, two eggs served any style and a thick slab of buttery rosemary bread. It all makes for a hearty meal that smells divine and tastes even better. Pro tip: In case others at your table can’t seem to keep their grubby paws off your dish (and understandably so), both the rosemary toast and potatoes are also available as a side dish. 3440 C Street, http://orphan

So very proper

Housemade scones with Devonshire cream, Fox & Goose I love carbs. I mean, I really, really love carbs. Which means that even when I order protein-rich eggs, I still want some soul-satisfying bread or pastry at my fingertips. Fox & Goose’s house-made scone makes for a lovely weekend treat. Studded with berries, it can be ordered with a side of Devonshire cream for an experience that pays perfect homage to the Fox & Goose’s British pub heritage. Order a pot of tea and you’ll feel like the Queen, at least for the morning. 1001 R Street, http://fox

andgoose.com. R.L.

Ω

breakfast.com. R.L.

onkstreet.com. J.B.

1815 K Street, http://theporch restaurantandbar.com. J.B.

Next-level bacon-eggand-cheese Truffle & Egg Sandwich, 58 Degrees & Holding Co.

The restaurant revamped its brunch menu recently but, luckily, left its consistent, standout version of a breakfast sandwich ($10) in place. It’s stuffed with rich, custardy scrambled eggs; crispy bacon; avocado; aioli; and Pecorino al Tartufo, a fragrant sheep’s milk cheese speckled with real truffle. The flavor is brilliant, but what makes it so satisfying is the contrast between the creamy eggs and the Acme ciabatta. Thick slices get oiled up and grilled on high heat for optimal caramelized edges that almost shatter upon contact, as well as a warm, chewy center. Vegetarians, take note: The bacon is optional and, frankly, unnecessary. 1217 18th Street,

www.58degrees.com. J.B.

continued on page 21

This soul food staple seems ubiquitous at Sacramento brunch spots right now, but perhaps the most satisfying yet simple version comes from Pangaea ($13). Three golden-brown pieces of chicken arrive with thin, crackling skin

Pillows of heaven

Waffle & Fried Oyster, Skool on K

Fragrant and filling

“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

The vibes at Hawks are great for brunch: celebratory yet relaxed, with lots of beautiful, intriguing meal options that stray away from most Sacramento brunch trends.

Yet, it’s one of the most simple items that so wildly stuns: the croque monsieur ($13), the classic French ham-and-cheese sandwich.

Here, the quality of ingredients does most of the work, such as the housemade pan de mie bread and the Gruyere cheese that arrives golden brown on top. A little cheese-skirt action complements the creamy bechamel sauce, yet the sandwich delivers on crispy, salty edges as well. The healthy side salad encourages repeat ordering.

2743 Franklin Boulevard, http://pangaeabiercafe.com. J.B.

Oysters, it’s what’s for breakfast

Photo BY ANN StoKES

Croque Monsieur, Hawks Public House

and juicy meat, all piled atop a single yeasted waffle. The waffle impresses all by itself, with hearty chewiness and big, malty flavors.

On the side, the forceful, thickcut bacon makes you wonder how something you already loved so much could get so much better.

A brunch fiend in her natural habitat.

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By rachel leibrock rac he ll@ n ew sr ev iew. c om

un

Vegetarian brunch options that actually taste pretty damn good

ch

Br

continued from page 19

TOFU SCRAMBLE

n u d th o r a e

w

ld or

“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

BEYOND THE

behold, the tofu scramble: tiny chunks of

ILLUSTRATION BY JONATHAN BUCK

Our writer begs you to branch out with your brunch

by Janelle bitker jane lle b@ new sr ev i ew. c om

brunch ain’t all about hollandaise and flapjacks.

Bar (2394 Northgate Boulevard). For general MexicanAmerican brunch fare, Tres Hermanas (2416 K Street) is always a good bet.

Have you considered Hawaiian brunch? Though eaten at any time of the day on the islands, loco moco makes for a prime, gut-busting option. Rice gets topped with hamburger patties, which gets topped with fried eggs, which get topped with a deep-brown gravy. At Harry’s Cafe (2026 16th Street), a no-frills brunch gem for both the traditional and nontraditional, the loco moco can be ordered with fried rice—and feed two.

Maybe seafood sounds like appropriate morning sustenance to you. Look to Bubbie’s Love Deli & Catering (7800 Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights) for the best Jewish brunch around, with delicious whitefish salad along with housemade lox and pickled herring. Get ’em all on a platter, or try the delightfully light, sweet cheese blintzes.

Or potato latkes. Or, if you’re a diehard Jewish food fan, matzo brei.

Yet, there’s room for much more. As far as I know, no one in Sacramento is serving shakshuka, the Israeli preparation of eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce. It’s hugely trendy nationwide right now—a brunch item to rival only avocado toast.

Along the same lines, when will Sacramento get Scandinavian brunch, with boards of smoked fish and pickled delights? How about a fun take on congee in a not-Chinese restaurant? Will çılbır, the Turkish dish of poached eggs with garlicky yogurt, ever make a local appearance?

On second thought, çılbır sounds like a great vehicle for hollandaise. Ω

continued on page 23

The phrase “Let’s do brunch!” certainly has a specific connotation, involving eggy dishes, mimosas and sunny service. Reading local brunch menus can be a boring exercise in repetition. But we can eat all sorts of awesome, nontraditional stuff at 10 a.m. on a Sunday that deserves similar accolades—and we can find plenty of intriguing options in Sacramento.

Think dim sum. What’s better than filling up a massive, round table with dumplings and sharing with friends? Not much.

Battling a hangover? Doesn’t a piping hot bowl of soup sound way more helpful than fried chicken and waffles? In Vietnam, pho is the preferred breakfast, and we’re lucky to have so many awesome pho spots in south Sacramento.

Drive down Stockton Boulevard and take your pick.

Mexican brunch seems to be perennially popular in Sacramento restaurants. Tank House stuffs tacos with scrambled eggs. Shady Lady Saloon serves huevos rancheros. Even the ever-classy Grange offers chili verde.

But in Mexico, “Mexican brunch” is less of a thing than it is here. Breakfast burrito? As American as General Tso’s chicken.

One reason you will see Mexico City locals lining up on weekends is chilaquiles, corn tortillas lightly fried and simmered in salsa, usually served with runny eggs.

Lots of local restaurants serve them, but few—including Mexican spots—actually prepare them in the traditional way. For that glory, go to El Bramido Restaurant &

“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

tofu, sauteed with seasoning and chopped veggies until everything has been lumped and mushed together into a crumbly mess.

I’ve been a vegetarian and staunch tofu defender for nearly 20 years and even I don’t find this dish very appealing.

But, too often, it’s all vegetarians and vegans can find at the brunch table—at least when it comes to animal-free order options.

As a self-proclaimed “bad vegetarian,” I have plenty of choices. It’s easy to order eggs of any variety (poached, omelet, fried, whatever), and I don’t worry if my pancakes or French toast were made with dairy.

But many of my better vegan friends have a rougher go of it when it comes to heading out for a leisurely midday meal.

Thankfully, there are some pretty amazing veganfriendly dishes in the area. And, OK fine, one of them actually is a tofu scramble.

If you’re going to order the ubiquitous vegetarian menu item, at least get it from a place that knows how to do it right. Fox & Goose Public House (1001 R Street) offers three variations—curry, pesto and fresh spinach, the latter of which includes optional goat cheese. Better yet, the English-style pub also has a “build-your-own” option. The meal, served with country potatoes and a choice of crumpet, English muffin or toast is hearty, flavorful and appealing to the eye. Not a weird bit of texture on the plate—this is how tofu scrambles should be done. Bonus: Diners can also order a side of vegan tempeh “bacon.”

With its emphasis on beans and tortillas, Mexican food can make for a tasty brunch. Oak Park Brewing Co.’s (3514 Broadway) weekend brunch menu goes big with its breakfast burrito, which can be ordered with Soyrizo (a vegan take on chorizo) and eggs. Skip the latter—along with the cheese and chile crema if you want to make it vegan. Don’t worry, just ask for an extra serving of the roasted tomato salsa to keep the flavor satisfying.

For those who don’t mind straying from more traditional breakfast items, Veg Cafe & Bar (2431 J Street) has a small but mighty menu of Indian-inspired dishes including its savory potato hash made with fried potatoes, peppers and tomato chutney. Or, get the savory breakfast crepe made with roasted veggies and a panang curry.

Orphan Breakfast House (3440 C Street) also has a great nontraditional option in its Zen Breakfast. Skip the eggs and just ask your server to double up on the brown rice and tofu that’s grilled in the restaurant’s housemade ginger soy sauce. The restaurant also offers sides of steamed spinach and grilled zucchini if you want to add some greenery to your plate.

Because, you know, vegetables. Ω

06.23.16 | SN&R | 21

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“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

STICK A

FORK IN IT

Chefs dish on the pros and cons of serving brunch

BY ANN MArtiN rolke

You may love brunch, but

BY rAheeM F. hosseiNi raheemh@new sr ev i ew. c om

to be straight up with you

all, I was kind of annoyed when the SN&R team just assumed I would write the contrarian’s take on brunch. Like I’m some weird amalgam of Andy Rooney, Lewis Black and Little Mikey from those old Life cereal commercials.

“Let’s get Raheem! He won’t eat it. He hates everything!”

But really, who hates brunch?

It’s breakfast food at a nonbreakfast time. I enjoy breakfast foods and being late. I’m the one lobbying his friends at midnight to slum it at Denny’s just to order unlimited buttermilk pancakes for $4. I never end up requesting a second helping, usually to the server’s confusion, but it’s just $4!

I can’t lose!

Sure, they could be a little more forthcoming with the syrup, but I digress.

Brunch: I started thinking about it a little. And damn, it turns out my colleagues know me too well.

there’s a pretension to brunch, a borrowed snobbery that people try on like ironic fedoras or adult princess costumes.

Now, maybe it’s just the brunches I’ve attended, 75 percent of which occur during Mother’s Day or a similarly bright occasion where there’s no fixed tradition or location. But to my mind, there’s a pretension to brunch, a borrowed snobbery that people try on like ironic fedoras or adult princess costumes.

I mean, the tone is pretty much set with the cutesy, portmanteau word platter combining “breakfast” and “lunch.” Like my friend Scott is going to call me up and say, “Hey man, does Raheemie want to get some yummy brunchy with Scotty?

Pwetty pwease?”

Ick. Ick. Ick. And it seems like such a marketing ploy. Like a handful of influential restauranteurs got together back in the day and decided Americans needed a fourth square meal to cram food down their throats. What’s next—linner?

Dunch? Dinnert?

All of which underscore the naked economic savagery, where the businesses running this cheery scam know they can surge-price us for a flute of store-bought OJ dashed with a spit of champagne.

I actually can’t decide which is weaker: the mimosas, the coffee or brunch’s entire reason for being.

Yet we fall for it.

Every brunch I’ve been dragged to involved a wait of at least 30 minutes in a crowded entryway with a group of people whose conversations I usually regret overhearing.

Brunch is the proletariat playing pretend 1 percenter. And to me, the idea is about as appealing as summering in the Hamptons. I’m sure it would be lovely if not for the people.

It is rooms filled with trust-fund brats and their mean-dean dads.

Politicians in khakis and cool aunts in yoga pants. Sweater-necked brunch bros and a bridal shower party putting off way too much energy. Or my people: hungover groups of friends who just want to silently carbo-load, but are now forced to cheerily answer the question “Rough night?” 47 different times.

Brunch, in other words, is my vision of millennial hell, set in a daytime nightclub filled with a sunny cult of morning people.

Everything is hued in pastel and no one can eat until all the Instagram photos are taken, filtered, compared, shared, commented on and retaken.

It is not my scene. I don’t dig it. I don’t care about it. And I don’t want to spend 20 minutes discussing toast points with a guy who has seven bands but no songs. Not at 11 in the morning. Not ever.

But hate? That’s a pretty strong word.

And, yet, maybe a little accurate.Ω

continued on page 25

they would prefer to be in and out, they wait.”

Think of your brunch chef the next time you stay out late and get up early. It’s a tough turnaround to go from a busy dinner service to a rocking Sunday brunch, both because everyone is tired and items need to be restocked.

“At the end of Saturday night, the entire walk-in is completely empty,” says South co-owner N’Gina Kavookjian, laughing.

South promised brunch long ago, but Kavookjian says she’s realized the restaurant can’t handle adding another service—even though she’s had a brunch menu ready for over a year.

“Our kitchen is so small. We would need literally a fresh set of legs on Sunday morning to serve brunch,” she says, adding that South will first need to expand its kitchen before considering it.

“Having Sunday off is really nice.

A lot of industry people like to eat brunch because it’s their day off.”

Therein lies the dilemma for chefs: Make some extra money with a short brunch service or try to recover from the weekend rush?

Chef-owner Jon Clemons of the Porch is actually adding Friday brunch this month because the restaurant got so many requests.

“It’s hard to wake up early; you kind of have to make sacrifices,” he says. “But you can be more playful with brunch food.”

And, as Kavookjian says, “It’s a good moneymaker, to be honest, because it’s eggs.”

It’s just that those inexpensive eggs also need artisanal toast, seasonal fruit, locally sourced bacon and some third-wave coffee to go with it—the kind of farm-tofork brunch diners have come to expect in Sacramento. Ω

Finding a way to hate brunch one customer at a time

“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

what about the chefs who cook it?

Is it just as fun and relaxing for them, or would they rather stick a fork in their eye? Some places don’t even serve brunch, although we wish they would—looking at you, South.

Brunch service is a whole different animal than lunch or dinner—or breakfast, for that matter. Customers usually stroll in feeling sleepy and want to linger over coffee and pastries.

Restaurants can’t turn the tables as quickly, there are lots of fiddly condiments to keep in line and people are extra choosy.

“There are a lot of modifications at brunch,” says Brian Mizner, executive chef at Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. “People are very particular, like ordering bacon extra crispy. You have to have thick skin being a brunch chef.”

You have to be a master egg cook, too. Your idea of the perfectly cooked egg probably differs from your dining mates’ ideals. And no one is ever going to succeed at making you scrambled eggs just the way your mother did.

Brunch also presents yet another financial risk for restaurants.

“Brunch can be an opportunity for loss because there are a lot of components and you have to make sure your sourcing is good,” says Bacon & Butter chefowner Billy Zoellin. “It becomes a game of keeping the money and not losing it.”

But, Zoellin adds, he managed to find a niche here. People do love brunch, and they’re willing to wait for it. Witness the hour-long lines at Bacon & Butter and Tower Cafe on the weekends.

“I almost see it as a social gathering,” says Zoellin. “Although

An inconvenient booth

06.23.16 | SN&R | 23

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Five don’t-miss brunch cocktails

by Anthony Siino

Photo BY ANNE StoKES

“Sleep. Wake. Eat.”

BOOZING BEFORE NOON a n t hon y s @ n ew sr ev iew. c om

M

ost people want to talk about brunch, but those of us with different needs only hear “Let’s get day-wasted.” If you’re of a similar mind and just need some poison to rattle the rust from your soul while everybody else gets excited about a poached egg, here are your best options around town.

Morning Glory

Cafeteria 15L Half the reason for brunching at Cafeteria 15L is leisurely lounging outside in that lovely patio area, right? The Morning Glory ($9) makes a decent complement for light conversation and catching the Delta breeze, what with its tart blend of sparkling wine, orange and pomegranate juice, and hibiscus liqueur. It’s a solid replacement for your usual mimosa, since we’ve all had enough bottomless versions of those to last us our alcohol-drowned lives. Sit with one of these and contemplate the dual nature of the sun’s life-giving properties on a fatally hot day from the comforts of your shaded perch. 1116 15th Street,

http://cafeteria15l.com.

The Oaxacan Dead Zocalo

The Oaxacan Dead ($9) burns with a hate understood only by those who believe in the physical reality of the Devil, as Hunter S. Thompson would say. Del Amigo mezcal lurks under a burning casket of Preservation & Co. Bloody Mary Mix, topped with a white pickled thing—the menu says carrot, but it seemed like an albino pepper to me—all surrounded by a dusted rim of chili flakes. I like my drinks savage, but even then I don’t think I’ve ever been so thoroughly assaulted by a drink as the Oaxacan Dead did to me. Intense heat singed the back of my throat repeatedly, shocking me even after I thought I’d acclimated, and the smoky mezcal taste that followed cemented the “this is truly a product of hell” feel. Still, 10/10, would die again for it.

1801 Capitol Avenue, http://zocalo sacramento.com.

The Kitchen Sink

Cask & Barrel If you’re too indecisive for an entree and too lazy for a fork, you could demand the Kitchen Sink ($25) from Cask & Barrel’s secret menu. It’s classier than your usual fish-a-few-skewers-out-of-thedeep-fryer-and-stick-whatever-comesup-on-top bloody mary, but let’s not indulge in pretense over an item that’s as much a cocktail as it is a sampler platter. A pretzel, an onion ring, a small leg of fried chicken, bacon, a roasted red pepper, a chicken quesadilla, a grilled cheese sandwich—every meaningful member of the grease-trap food group is there. That said, is it actually worth $25 for a decent bloody and a cornucopia of colon wreckers? Depends on how much you like upper-class novelty. 1431 Del Paso

Boulevard, http://caskandbarrel916.com.

The Cleanser

Grange Restaurant & Bar The Cleanser ($10) is named like it’s an elusive hitman in cocktail form, and it pretty much is. It’s a fruit nut’s dream, with fresh orange, carrot and apple juices disguising a strain of No. 209 Gin, garnished with a lemon slice and bits of pungent candied ginger. The blend is smooth, textured by creamy carrot and cut by nips of citrus, making it a sort of a fitting apology to your body for the pitcher-filled night before at Old Tavern.

926 J Street, www.grangesacramento.com.

Bloody Mary Bar

Ink Eats and Drinks Not every bartender is as good at the job as you are. For example, many bartenders don’t understand that a proper bloody mary takes three more pickled green beans and two more olives than most serve. No matter. Take the deed into your own hands at Ink’s bloody bar ($8-$17) and get the pickle juice, horseradish and God knows whatever else it is your haggard ass craves. This assumes you can competently mix a bloody mary, of course—I went for a slap of barbecue sauce that I thought was Worcestershire and lived to regret it. 2730 N Street, http://inkeats.com. Ω

Why choose? Order the bloody mary and the mimosa.

06.23.16

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Sacramento Stand-Up Competition FRIDAY, JUNE 24, THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 26 Stand-up comedy has always had a competitive element. See comics duke it out on a smaller scale at the three-day Sacramento Stand-Up Competition.

There are over $2,000 in prizes, so no Comedy doubt, these comedians will be pulling out all of their best material. $5-$40; 6 p.m. each night at Sacramento Comedy Spot, 1050 20th Street, Suite 130; (916) 444-3137; http://sacstandup.com.

Beat the heat

—AARON CARNES

The Love Horror Short Film Festival FRIDAY, JUNE 24 There’s so much access to films nowadays that you might miss some of the coolest ground-level art making the rounds at festivals. Short format is ideal for scary films; filmmakers have just enough time to scare the living crap out of you, and FiLm keep everything extraneous on the cutting room floor. $20; 8 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre, 3522 Stockton Boulevard; (916) 456-7099; www.sachorrorfilmfest.com.

—AARON CARNES

Sacramento Reptile exposition SATURDAY, JUNE 25, AND SUNDAY, JUNE 26

with art

Get creepy and crawly with fellow reptile lovers at this two-day expo where attendees will get the chance to feed, cuddle and even buy new reptilian friends. For those who might be down with a snapping turtle but are hesitant about, say, a crocodile, this is a safe opportunity to learn more ANimALS about our cold-blooded companions. $10; 10 a.m. at California Wedding Hall, 7323 Home Leisure Plaza; www.reptileexpositions.com.

—EDDIE JORGENSEN

H

ot Sacramento summers bring with them sundry silver-lining pleasures: Who can blame you if it’s 105 out and the only practical option is to lie on the couch with the A/C on full blast, watching The Sandlot for the 900th time because it’s on TV and you can’t not? Or relaxing with an Aperol spritz at a bar where the A/C is on full blast, because you couldn’t bring yourself to watch The Sandlot twice in one day? But bear with me, for a second. A little heat can go a long way as far as releasing that creative current goes, and this week is full of opportunities to get out there in the community and sweat it out for the sake of art: From Friday, June 24, through Sunday, June 26, hit up the Gold Lion Arts Summer Festival for some envelope-pushing performances by innovative musicians and performers. The show starts at 7 p.m. each day and features a lineup of four different acts, many of whom cite things like “free jazz,” “multiple movements,” “sound collages” and “improvisation” in their descriptions (read: some avant-garde stuff will be going down). Artists will often be local (Sacramento staple Ross Hammond will be performing with Vinny Golia on Saturday and side-project Nun Other Than on Sunday), though other acts hail from the Bay Area and Seattle as well. Tickets are $20 per day or $35 for a weekend pass; find out more at http://goldlionarts.blogspot.com.

For the younger set, Pence Gallery in Davis (212 D Street) is hosting Createfest: A Summer Celebration of youth and Art on Saturday, June 25, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Teenaged visual artists, filmmakers and performers will showcase and sell their work at a makers’ fair and film screening, plus there will be live music from Audiowave and a dance performance by the Pamela Trokanski Dance Theatre. Attendees can also create their own work with tape collages, chalk-art murals, a photo booth, mask-making and other creative activities. Admission is free; call (530) 758-3370 or visit http://pencegallery.org for more information.

Lastly, test out whether a little booze loosens up your creative side with the Summer Crafts and Cocktails event at the Crocker Art Museum (216 O Street) on Thursday, June 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., wherein attendees will hang out in the courtyard, sip on some summery cocktails and create Fourth of July decorations. (No stress if you’re not gifted with a glue gun; that’s what the drinks for!) Tickets are $18-$25 and include one alcoholic beverage, two nonalcoholic beverages and crafting supplies; additional drinks will be available for purchase. Check out www.crockerartmuseum.org or call (916) 808-1182 for tickets and to find out more.

—DEENA DREwIS

Garrison Keillor Farewell Party SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Bid adieu to the originator of Lake Wobegon and all its Minnesotan antics as he passes the torch for everyone’s favorite old-timey radio CULTURe show, A Prairie Home Companion. There will be trivia and a ketchup tasting, plus comfort food like meatloaf and biscuits as you listen to the final episode before new host, Chris Thile, takes over. $25-$35; 5:30 p.m. at Capital Public Radio, 7055 Folsom Boulevard; (916) 278-8900; www.capradio.org.

—DEENA DREwIS

Cold Brew Coffee: Homebrewing Technique SUNDAY, JUNE 26 The searing Sacramento summer has settled in, and those of us who aren’t clinically insane have switched to iced coffee. Learn to make it from Pachamama’s skilled baristas, who will show you how to CoFFee steep coffee in room-temperature water to create concentrated goodness. $5; 10 a.m. at 3644 J Street; (916) 476-4385; www.pacha.coop/sacramento.

—DAvE KEmpA

06.23.16 | SN&R | 27

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28 | SN&R | 06.23.16

vallejo’s

IllustratIons by serene lusano

Gentrified yum Quesadilla, la VeNadita La Venadita, the new Oak Park eatery, has raised some hackles for its “gentrified” take on taqueria mainstays. Certainly, its quesadilla ($7.50) is different. Here, the dish comprises two small tortillas, each folded into a half-moon that’s stuffed with cremini mushrooms, asparagus and goat cheese, then covered in poblano cream and epazote, the pungent Mexican herb. Lightly fried, the edges are crisp, the asparagus still holds a nice bite and the whole thing is at once tantalizingly smoky, spicy and creamy rich. A gentrified quesadilla? OK, sure. At least it’s delicious.

3501 Third Avenue, www.lavenaditasac.com.

—rachel leibrock

Petite hurrah cliNe cellars 2013 califorNia petite sirah, Grocery outlet IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

Time for tea

by Janelle Bitker

Bubbly: As a boba fanatic, I’m ashamed I failed to notice T4 opened a location on the grid at 2212 16th Street a couple of months ago. At last, bubble tea lovers have another central city option besides mega-chain Quickly and the limited offerings at Vampire Penguin—perfect timing with the summer heat. T4, which also has a location in Natomas and just opened another in Elk Grove (8469 Elk Grove Boulevard), serves lots of tea drinks, smoothies and various fried Asian snacks.

And there’s more. Two nontraditional boba shops recently opened in the Arden-Arcade area, which previously didn’t have any bubble tea at all. Vapes Unlimited & Boba Tea (1968 Fulton Avenue)

jan el l e b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

focuses on providing boba drinks while you vape, and Pearls Boba (2264 Fair Oaks Boulevard, Suite 102) offers a classy tea experience in a bright, trendy space with mason jars.

Compared to most boba shops, Pearls’ tea list is very short, and instead of the usual savory snacks, there’s shaved ice ($7 with three toppings) prepared in a similar fashion to Vampire Penguin’s shaved snow.

Trucking along: The area’s newest food truck festival Off the Grid will inhabit River Walk Park in West Sacramento every Sunday afternoon from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. until October, with a rotating lineup of 10 food trucks and 10 vendors serving out of tents.

Off the Grid operates about 60 food truck festivals every week in the greater Bay Area, but spokesperson Sinead Kennedy considers Sacramento to be its first real expansion, with another weekly market starting Tuesday, July 12, at the Crocker Art Museum.

Anticipating the long lines that have become synonymous with food truck festivals, Off the Grid launched its partnership in a new app, Q Cutter, which lets you order specific items and pay through your phone and cut straight to the pickup window.

At the festival’s debut, attendees mostly seemed excited but also expressed dismay at the food truck lineup: they were expecting some of the Bay Area food trucks that are part of the greater Off the Grid fleet instead of the same ones that participate in SactoMofo and other local events. Kennedy says the decision falls in line with Off the Grid’s whole strategy, to treat Sacramento like its own separate entity with its own local office, local employees and all-local vendors. Ω

When a wine appellation is listed as “California” on the bottle, that’s the winery’s way of saying they don’t want you to know where (at least a portion of) the fruit was sourced, since it’s not from some overpriced region. Good. More for us. Cline’s 2013 California Petite Sirah ($5) is my current Grocery Outlet staple, with flavors of brambly blackberries and cracked pepper riding through to a tannic cherry finish. Full-bodied with a punch, it pairs well with New York strip steak wrapped in bacon. 1700 Capitol Avenue, http://clinecellars.com.

—daVe keMpa

How new is new?

New potatoes Well, no one wants old potatoes, do they? Actually, “new” potatoes indicate thin-skinned baby tubers, and they’re flooding the market right now. These first-crop beauties may be as small as shooter marbles, but rarely as big as lemons. They’re not for baking, since they haven’t yet developed much starch. That makes them ideal for summer potato salads and baking thin slices directly on pizzas or frittatas. Fun facts: Potatoes can have as much potassium as bananas, and they’re rich in vitamin C and fiber. Look for creamy rose-skinned or purple varieties—no need to even peel them.

—aNN MartiN rolke

06.23.16 | SN&R | 29

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Rarely do you find a surprise in a shiny, new shopping center. Starbucks? Check. Chili’s?

Check. Secret little find of a restaurant that blows you away? Not likely.

So it is with Rasoi, an Indian restaurant that opened early this year in Rancho Cordova’s Capital Village.

At Rasoi, you can enjoy a perfectly nice meal of Indian food standards. The staff welcomes you effusively. Sleek, clean surroundings issue no challenge to your sensibilities. As long as you expect or want nothing more, Rasoi fits the bill.

Conversely, owner Prashant Singh hints at individualism on the attractively designed website, wherein he proclaims to embody “adventurous” dining and source locally from area vendors. However nice that sounds, the promise of adventure doesn’t pan out.

With few Indian restaurants in Rancho Cordova, Rasoi does fill a culinary gap. They also use halal meats, which may be important to some eaters.

Order à la carte for the best quality. One night, we started with aloo tikki ($4.99) and samosas ($4.99), both of which arrived crisp and hot and blossomed under dabs of cilantro-mint and tamarind chutneys.

Chicken makhani ($12.99)—also known as butter chicken—featured generous amounts of silky sauce over chunks of moist meat. It comes with rice, but naan is not included at dinner, making the price steep for the quantity.

Everything can be ordered mild, medium or hot, but the mild still skews fairly spicy. The chicken biryani ($12.99), ordered mild, retained enough heat to put off a sensitive eater.

Biryani often abounds with vegetables, although this version had little more than onions in the heavily sauced rice. The large portion represents a better deal than other entrees, though.

Flavorwise, the best hit of dinner was the bhindi masala ($12.99). Okra often gets gummy when cooked, but pan-fried with caramelized onions and tomatoes, the vegetable chunks retained an al dente bite and hint of sweetness.

Aloo ghobi ($10.99) also satisfies, with a spicy mix of meaty potato chunks and cauliflower simmered in a vibrant yellow curry gravy.

Rasoi seems to do a brisker lunch business from the large corporations nearby, perhaps because of the all-you-can-eat buffet. For $10.99 ($11.99 on Friday), you get a plentiful supply of fairly warm dishes. Start with a large spoonful of basmati rice and top it with any number of fried things and saucy curries. Sadly, though, a warming pan isn’t the best keeper of quality.

Both the fish and vegetable pakora still crunched in the right places, but lacked any discernible flavor. All of the sauces held up admirably without getting overcooked, but the proteins didn’t. The chicken in the garam masala gravy became stringy, while the goat in the curry sauce suffered from too many bones and gristle.

We nabbed somewhat zesty tandoor chicken legs soon after they were delivered to the buffet, and they retained their moistness. The basket of complimentary garlic naan arrived warm and soft, while mysteriously lacking much actual garlic.

Service is very attentive and friendly, if not always fully informed. Ask about beers, which are available on tap; we lucked out with a $2 pint that our server didn’t mention was a Saturday special. Unfortunately, but perhaps not surprisingly, three large televisions play sports or other programs constantly.

Character in a restaurant can’t be forced. It requires touches of individuality that surpass customer expectations and a few welcome surprises. Rasoi doesn’t seem to have nailed those down yet. But if you find yourself in Rancho Cordova and need a quick and hearty lunch in a modern setting, Rasoi is your place. Ω

Character in a restaurant can’t be forced.

An unexpected pairing For years, food trucks have smartly parked outside of breweries, ready to serve the buzzed and hungry. But what about wineries? On Saturday, June 25, the Old Sugar Mill (35265 Willow Avenue in Clarksburg) will link up with SactoMoFo for Grapes & Grub, an annual minifestival celebrating food and wine. There will be a special pairing and educational session for an extra fee, or you can develop your own menu. Participating wineries include Clarksburg Wine Co., Due Vigne Wines, Elevation Ten and Three Wine Co. Food options include longtime local favorites Cecil’s Taste, the Culinerdy Cruzer and Drewski’s serving fun American bites, along with newcomer Kado’s Asian Grill.

Does barbera or sangiovese taste best with teriyaki beef? Is chenin blanc too delicate for fried chicken? Find out any time from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more at http://oldsugarmill.com.

—Janelle Bitker

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Pizza Bell in Elk Grove has a vegan menu. Yeah, it’s a big deal. Back in February, vegan then-employee Brandi Bell launched the menu at the vintage family-style pizza joint (8591 Elk Grove Boulevard).

According to manager Patty Cox, it didn’t really catch on until after the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge Facebook page posted the menu, which doesn’t appear on Pizza Bell’s website. Pizza Bell staffers said people have come from downtown Sacramento, Rancho Cordova and Petaluma to try its three vegan pies

loaded with Daiya faux cheese and colorful produce; robust, golden calzone; crispy garlic flatbread; and warm, buttery, doughy Twisters— plus plenty of vegan ranch sauce.

“It’s an overwhelming response,” Cox said. The new menu illustrates how the vegan community is eager and mobilized to support local businesses that provide plant-based options. Cox said she realizes it’s a goldmine of untapped customers.

“I’ve opened up a whole new world.”

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ReviewS

Smart talk

by Patti RobeRts

Photo courtesy of B street theatre

and wife Jane (Tara Sissom) over for cheesecake and situation assessment.

The play is like a smart Neil Simon production with an edge—it’s about likable middleclass characters with relationship problems who banter, argue, talk and reveal. Not a lot of action, but lots of conversations, and with an unforeseen twist that alters the focus.

It’s the performances by Hebert and Brothers, however, that make this play so memorable—so believable with so many layers, and so much subtlety, especially Hebert who has less dialogue but speaks volumes with facial expressions and small gestures. Ω

4 A Bright New Boise “Hey, i have a very honest face.”

Clever Little Lies

4

clever Little Lies; 8 p.m. thursday and friday, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. saturday, 2 p.m. sunday, 6:30 p.m. tuesday, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday; $26-$38. B street theatre, 2711 B street; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreettheatre.org. through July 31.

B Street Theatre has a long history with Tony Award-winning playwright Joe DiPietro. The company produced one of DiPietro’s first plays in the early ’90s, and a second a few years later—all before the playwright won top awards for his 2010 Broadway musical Memphis.

Now the theater welcomes DiPietro back with Clever Little Lies, the first staging after the play’s 2015 off-Broadway debut. The show’s two leads also pack Broadway credentials: Rich Hebert and Julia Brothers, who was the understudy for Marlo Thomas when she starred in Clever Little Lies.

It’s these two leads who really elevate this play about infidelity and the resulting secrets, lies, deceits and decisions that damage a relationship.

Clever Little Lies is a parlor play—most action happens in a suburban living room. It centers around Billy (Jason Kuykendall) secretly confessing to his father Bill Sr. (Herbet) that he’s having an affair with a personal trainer. Though Bill Sr. swears not to tell Billy’s mother Alice (Brothers), she instantly figure something’s amiss, pries the secret out of her husband and quickly invites Billy

In a galaxy far, far away (a break room in a Boise, Idaho, Hobby Lobby store) there is an epic battle between good (self-awareness) and evil (unreliable religion). And as with any Star Wars episode, there is the Force. In playwright Samuel D. Hunter’s A Bright New Boise, that Force takes many forms: resignation, rebellion, belief in the biblical rapture. The play’s premise is that a sense of meaninglessness in one’s life results in the prayer that a Someone will step in and fix things.

The edgy comedy becomes increasingly dark as characters reveal their barren existences. Will (Jouni Kirjola), who has come to Boise to escape his cult church scandal, is being interviewed for a job by deliciously foul-mouthed store manager Pauline (Alexa Slater, who seems to relish the profanity). Will has baggage, unpacked piecemeal, often in answer to questions from co-worker Anna (Jamie Kale). Will has come to this particular store to reveal himself as the biological father of Alex (Kyle Burrow), a traumatized teenage summer employee. Alex only trusts his older foster brother Leroy (Torin Lusebrink, incomparable), who knows his calling in life: to get in people’s faces, and make them confront their biases and preconceptions. Leroy is heroic. He believes in himself and doesn’t need a god, but end-timer Will keeps praying for deliverance “now, now, now.”

—Jim Carnes

a Bright New Boise; 8 p.m., thursday, friday and saturday; $10-$16.

Big Idea theatre, 1616 Del Paso Boulevard; (916) 804-6923; www.bigideatheatre.org. through July 16.

“Why, i oughta ...”

Photo courtesy of caLIforNIa staGe

4

A Revolutionary Mind

how they affect her world today. A strong script and strong acting make this a must-see. Th, F, Sa 8pm; Su 2pm. Through 7/17. $12-$20.

California Stage in the R25 Arts Complex, 1721 25th Street; (916) 451-5822; www.calstage.org. B.S.

This powerful world premiere by Leslie LewinterSuskind follows Susan, a onetime boomer activist.

In the ’60s she vowed to change the world and is now looking back over her life, the choices she made and

1 fouL

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2

3

4

faIr

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WeLL-DoNe

5 suBLIMe– DoN’t MIss

Catch a sneak peek of this nose.

Photo courtesy of the DavIs shakesPeare festIvaL

Summer sneaks The Davis Shakespeare Festival will hold preview performances this weekend before it officially kicks off the formal runs for two upcoming productions. Local professional actor Matt Edwards plays the title role in the swashbuckling romance Cyrano de Bergerac, and festival co-artistic director Gia Battista plays artful switchboard operator Ella Peterson in the 1956 musical Bells Are Ringing. Not only do these shows afford a sneak peek, they’re a little bit friendlier on the wallet than those staged during the official run, too. $10-$20; Cyrano de Bergerac at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; Bells Are Ringing at 8 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday; Veterans Memorial Theatre, 203 E. 14th Street in Davis; (530) 802-0998; www.shakespearedavis.org.

—Jeff Hudson

06.23.16 | SN&R | 33

Model behavior

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The Neon Demon is a stylish, shallow movie about the stylish, shallow world of fashion modeling.

Writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn lingers over every carefully posed composition. He makes the Stanley Kubrick of Eyes Wide Shut look positively breakneck.

The picture opens on a woman lying sprawled on a white sofa. The camera takes in her head lolling back, her arms and legs askew, her glassy staring eyes, the gaping wound in her throat, the pool of congealed blood on the floor around her.

It’s a shock, but it’s also a pose.

The woman is alive, and Refn cuts to her trying to wipe the stage blood from her neck and shoulders with a few ineffectual tissues. She doesn’t look womanly now; she looks like a little girl lost, barely able to remove her own makeup. A makeup technician takes pity, and they strike up a conversation. The model is Jesse (Elle Fanning), newly arrived in L.A. to break into modeling, living in a fleabag motel where the manager (Keanu Reeves) prowls the rooms looking for runaways to rape. The makeup artist is Ruby (Jena Malone), who responds to Jesse’s helplessness with a solicitude that is half maternal, half carnal.

Things begin to happen for Jesse. Doors open, casting directors take notice. She’s only 16, but one agent (Christina Hendricks) doesn’t want to know.

“Tell them you’re 19,” she tells Jesse. “Eighteen is too right-on-the-money.”

by Jim LaNe

Other models eye Jesse warily in their metaphorical rearview mirrors. As she becomes more in demand she’s no longer in their rearview mirrors—they’re in hers, and the wariness turns hard.

We see malice in their eyes, even as they’re careful to let no expression carve lines on their smooth faces.

Refn stages Jesse’s progress from wide-eyed naif to steely ice queen as a series of lurid tableaux punctuated by languid strobes, cold blue edges as sharp as razor blades, and slo-mo cascades of glitter. It’s a movie of surfaces, not depths, with banalities passed off as insight. (“Beauty isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”) Elle Fanning’s screen presence (more natural than her older sister Dakota) somehow draws us in; we almost believe this girl/ woman would rise so quickly and effortlessly.

Then, as we’ve been halfexpecting all along, Ruby makes advances to Jesse, and Jesse rebuffs her. The Spoiler Police will howl if I reveal exactly what happens next, but Ruby vents her sexual frustration in a manner that Refn clearly intends to shock and disturb us.

And something weird happens. As if sensing that he’s crossed a line, Refn plunges all-in, and his movie goes absolutely stark raving nuts, becoming a hallucinatory jumble that defies even the nightmare logic of surrealism.

In the end, The Neon Demon’s style deserts it, and we realize that the substance was never there in the first place. Ω

It’s a movie of surfaces, not depths.

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The Conjuring 2

In 1977, psychic investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) investigate a poltergeist that is terrorizing a suburban London family. The movie claims to be “based on” a case recorded by the real-life Warrens. Well, maybe, but the “demonic spirit” in this movie doesn’t have much imagination—it takes all its ideas from The Exorcist and the dozens of schlock horror flicks it has spawned in 43 years. Director James Wan (Saw) indulges his usual penchant for grisly chills and jump-scares, and performances are good enough (especially Madison Wolfe in what can only be called the Linda Blair role), but Wan and co-writers Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes and David Johnson fail to build momentum or suspense. The movie drags on for two-anda-quarter-hours, far too long for this kind of nonsense. J.L.

4

Dark Horse

Documentarian Louise Osmond retraces the underdog career of the British racehorse Dream Alliance, which enjoyed an entirely creditable racing career 2004-2012, despite unexceptional genes and the fact that it was sponsored by a consortium of working-class neighbors in a depressed Welsh mining town. Osmond mixes talking-head interviews with the Dream’s owners and hometown fans (a warmly down-to-earth bunch of folks), archival news footage, home video and discreet reenactments to weave a heartwarming and crowd-pleasing story. The interviewees are the main attraction, especially breeder Jan Vokes and her husband Daisy (a nickname), but a surprisingly vivid presence is Dream Alliance himself, who comes off as a scrappy animal with a gamely competitive spirit and a lot of horse sense (no pun intended). J.L.

5

Finding Dory

2

The Lobster

That sweetly forgetful fish from Finding Nemo (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) feels long-lost memories stirring of the parents she hasn’t seen since childhood (Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy), and sets out with her friends Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) to reunite with them. Pixar does it again—or to be more specific, directors Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane and writers Stanton, Victoria Strouse and Bob Peterson.

Like Toy Story 2 (also a Stanton brainchild), here’s a sequel that not so much surpasses the original as deepens and enriches it, making it forever impossible to think of the two movies separately. Exhilarating adventure, irresistible wit, breathtaking visuals and an all-star voice cast (just about everybody wanted part of this one) combine in a seamless banquet of pure entertainment. J.L.

In a society where being single is illegal, a divorced man (Colin Farrell) must find a new mate; if he fails, he’ll be turned into an animal (his choice, if need be, is to become a lobster). Written by Efthymis Filippou and director Yorgos Lanthimos (working for the first time in English), the movie alternates between long stretches of numbing tedium and moments of wanton cruelty—usually to animals but sometimes to people. Is this a cruel society or just a cruel movie? There are all the earmarks of mordant satire except the one a satire must have—a lively wit. Liveliness is the last thing on this movie’s mind. Its characters are merely single defining characteristics rather than real people; they have nothing, and hence nothing to lose. And as for wit—without that, satire is just meanness. J.L

2

Maggie’s Plan

As brand names continue to monopolize the Hollywood blockbuster, add the romantic comedy to the vanishing middle class of movie genres, along with westerns, crime films, musicals and more. Hollywood will still crank out the occasional star-heavy,

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Central Intelligence

If you’ve seen the preview trailer, you know the setup: 20 years after high school graduation, the kid voted most likely to succeed has become a frustrated, stalled-out office drone (Kevin Hart), while the bullied fat nerd has morphed into a dashing, heroic hunk (Dwayne Johnson)—but also a bit of a loose cannon, maybe even a traitorous rogue CIA agent. The frenetic, whining Hart and the ice-cool Johnson make a good team, and the script by Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen and director Rawson Marshall Thurber is a good one, with good laughs, a clever plot and some perceptive touches about teenage insecurities that never quite go away. A couple of unbilled star cameos add amusement, and Amy Ryan is good as a pursuing CIA agent. (Danielle Nicolet as Hart’s wife, however, is underused.) Sequels are inevitable. J.L.

rom-com monstrosity, usually directed by Garry Marshall, but otherwise independent filmmakers have been left to pick up the slack.

It’s a great opportunity to remake the genre into something more socially and cinematically progressive than its forebears, which is why a middling dullard like Rebecca Miller’s Maggie’s Plan feels like such a grave disappointment. The film deals with subjects like marital infidelity and single-parent insemination in a world of hyperliterate New York intellectuals, but the aesthetics and storytelling of Maggie’s Plan are almost mechanically conventional. There are no real laughs in here, only chuckles of recognition at the rough cadence of comedy, acknowledgments of the empty spaces where we expect humor to reside. D.B.

4

Now You See Me 2

The Robin Hood-like magicians of Now You See Me (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo and Dave Franco, joined by newcomer Lizzy Caplan) reunite for another sting—which goes sour, landing them in the clutches of a tech genius (Daniel Radcliffe) who dragoons them into his own shadowy scheme. Like its precursor, this sequel is very much a magic act itself, filled with misdirection and sleight of hand—and like that first movie, it’s great fun, with a delightful surprise almost every five minutes. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman return too, and director Jon M. Chu navigates the convolutions of Ed Solomon and Pete Chiarelli’s script with an unaccustomed sprightly touch. Here’s that rare sequel that improves on the original— though you do have to have seen the original to be able to follow it. J.L.

3

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Andy Samberg stars alongside his The Lonely Island comedy teammates Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone (the latter two also directed) in this likable but limp music mockumentary. Samberg plays pampered and

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narcissistic ex-boy band member Conner Friel, re-dubbed Conner4Real for a white-hot solo career, and prepared to drop his revoltingly self-aggrandizing sophomore album as the movie opens. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping features the same number of gratuitous celebrity walk-on “jokes” as any other Judd Apatow production, but for once this lowestcommon-denominator tactic actually fits the material. At this point, though, it’s hard to imagine a subject less ripe for genteel satire than music industry excess, and yet even the best bits of Popstar are utterly fangless. There are some laughs, especially in the brisk opening half, but the joke wears thin pretty quick, and the plot-heavy final third assumes an emotional connection that the film never even tried to create. D.B.

2

Warcraft: The Beginning

A race of hulking manlike creatures invades the human world through a magical portal, growling unintelligibly around their huge tusks, while humans posture and declaim, struggling vainly to be heard over the bombast of Ramin Djawadi’s music. Fans of the video-game franchise may be able to follow the incoherent plot. Then again, it may not matter; they may simply rhapsodize over the breathtaking CGI and nonstop battle scenes.

For the rest of us, it’s just another lousy videogame movie with pathetic delusions of Game of Thrones—all the thunder, flying arrows and flashing broadswords but none of the political intrigue or subtlety of character. Even the names aren’t clearly spoken; blame director Duncan Jones and his co-writers Charles Leavitt and Chris Metzen for concocting such silly names to begin with. J.L.

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the EP is autobiographical, Bell says, “Oh, he-e-ell yes!”) Bell’s wide vocal range soothes like lemonade on a triple-digit day. Meanwhile, Bruner raps with his trademark jolliness, as if he’s holding back the start of a laugh. Their emo roots show in lyrics that dish out love stories—the unrequited, annoying, confusing and fun. For example, “Alcohol and Lipstick” is about the temptress who makes you drink too much.

Inside this confessional cocktail, they blend unlikely influences, such as Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Logic, Death Cab for Cutie, Eminem and Incubus.

“With [Bruner], it’s a healthy balance between intellectual, very lyrical hip-hop and just kind of hype, substanceless hip-hop,” Bell says. “Rock ’n’ roll fits in somewhere in between. You can hear when he sings he has a very rock ’n’ roll voice.”

Bruner counters with his own musical description of Bell: “Brandon Boyd is like his boyfriend, basically, if he could have it that way.”

They collaborate on everything as 50-50 as elijah bell (left) and Will bruner are prime for sunshine. possible. When one man turns down the other’s idea, he has to have a new, positive idea to replace it—bringing the improv concept of “Yes, and …” into music-making. “And then we won’t talk to each Will Bruner and Elijah Bell still crack up over the other for a day or two,” Bell jokes with a tinge of words, “Dammit, dude!” seriousness.

With a history of friendly smack talk, the two On the whole, they try to be there for each musicians behind the local hip-hop/R&B duo other. A year ago, Bruner was bummed K.o. & Eli met three years ago while workabout going to his gig as a waiter. ing at Buckhorn Grill. This catchphrase “We Then, he called up Bell. brought them together. Bell, a server, “[Bell] was like, ‘You know want to make would bring back dishes for Bruner what I do, man? I put my head(a.k.a. K.o.) to wash, and Bruner people phones in and listen to my own would always respond, in sitcom feel good.” music to remind myself of what style, “Dammit, duuuuude!” my first job is. Where I’m going, As the two class clowns of their Elijah Bell that’s just to pay bills, that’s not restaurant, Bruner, now 25, and Bell, singer-songwriter, my main focus.’ That totally helped 24, decided to transfer their chemistry K.o. & Eli me,” Bruner says “Now whenever into music. They knew something had I’m walking to work, I’m listening to clicked during their first practice when they K.o. & Eli.” were in the zone for hours, forgetting about the “This is why we’re at our restaurants, busting our outside world. That day, they wrote their first song, asses so we can put this $160 aside so we can book “Alcohol and Lipstick.” Now, it’s on their debut EP, our next session,” Bruner continues. “It’s a very Come Alive, set to be released on Thursday, June 23. proud feeling because we’re financing everything.”

Before their collaboration, Bruner had been a With this, he brushes the shoulders of his cutoff member of the Sacramento punk band No Admission, tank top. while Bell had been in the local funk-and-blues“No one is doing the sound we’re trying to bring inspired indie trio the Bell Boys with his two to Sac.” Ω brothers.

“We still have that vulnerability and that tenacity in our music but at the same time, we want to make people feel good,” Bell says.

Check out K.o. & Eli at 8 p.m. thursday, June 23, at harlow’s Restaurant & The four songs, plus one intro track, sound like Nightclub, 2708 J Street. tickets cost $8-$10. More at www.facebook.com/ summertime distilled into dancey beats and sexy, KoandEli. synth-shimmering musical diaries. (When asked if Photo BY LUKE FItZ

1700 Fulton at Arden Way, Sacramento • 481-1192

by Rebecca Huval

Turnout woes Not so festive: So there was a music festival at Southside Park last weekend. Judging from the crowds, you probably weren’t there.

Yeah, I get it. You celebrated Father’s Day elsewhere. Well, it’s a damn shame. There was too much Sacramento talent performing for too few people. Among the onlookers were musicians in other bands, their parents, press people and distant vendors who likely wished the twoday, 42-band marathon was free.

There were a few hundred patrons scattered between three stages and many booths, with depressingly fewer people and booths on Sunday. The rest, or those who did not pay the $35-per-day entry fee, listened curiously from outside the fenced-off park as they walked by.

Forgive the pun, because I mean it: I really hope the second First Festival isn’t the last. Talk about a great exhibit to Sacramento’s eclectic, worthwhile music scene. A small taste of the genres on display included reggae, metal, rap-rock, indie, country and medieval fable-folk.

Some day one standouts: Sun Valley Gun Club delivered a set of untamed, thrashy indie rock tethered by fine melodies and melancholic lyrics.

Blue Oaks, a duo that performed on the modest craft beer lounge stage reserved for quieter acts, brought brooding blues to a small crowd gathered on stools and lawn chairs.

But Saturday headliner Epsilona made the night. Heck, both nights.

Tame Impala, John Mayer and ’80s synth-pop sort of captures what they do. No courtesy applause was needed.

Day two was prime for solo performers sporting a shyer sound back at the craft beer lounge.

Sean Fleming was among the most graceful, as well as Justin Farren, whose sound can best be described as acoustic story-time. Unfortunately, their soft tunes clashed with the loud muffle of the main-stage bands, but both the crowd and performers got used to the distraction.

Those few who paid for both days probably had a fun weekend out, even if most of these artists play at local dives for a small cover. But, to the woman walking up and down the sidewalk during a set, and most people apparently, $60-plus might be too much to ask to support local music.

Rap without borders: Despite winning a Sammie this year for best hip-hop/rap group, Sam Franchi considers the Good Samaritans to be a relatively unknown crew in Sacramento.

“We don’t have the connections everyone else has,” Franchi says.

“Living up [in Placerville], it’s a lot harder. I have to come down here once or twice a week on my own time just to network for shows.”

It didn’t feel that way at last week’s Concerts in the Park, though.

Staying true to their conscious hip-hop roots, the CIP first-timers also weaved in dashes of country, folk and Americana into their set, which largely consisted of tracks from their forthcoming EP Backwoods or Bust. Franchi and his brother Eric led the way on vocals, while Josh Harris and brothers Aaron and Eric Opdyke bridged the musical gap with bass, guitar and drums, respectively. And, of course, Zephyr Ahern was there, too, spinning his turntables and keeping the beat steady.

Despite sounding so traditionally hip-hop in their lyrics, the Good Samaritans pull off a down-home, folksy vibe musically. The result wasn’t necessarily a hoedown, per se. Let’s call it a mini-jamboree. Folks near the stage grooved and stomped, while those on the periphery couldn’t help but tap their feet either. When the group covered the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” even more bodies hit the floor to thrash around.

With the addition of live musicians, Sam says the band is attracting listeners outside of hip-hop, which feels gratifying but also stings at the same time.

“We’re pretty much finding other people saying, ‘Oh I don’t like rap, but I love you guys,’” he says.

“Which is a weird statement, because I feel almost bad about it.”

Regardless, Sam says he’s happy to see their music appeal a wider base.

The Good Samaritans host a release show for Backwoods or Bust in Placerville on July 23 and plan to hold one in Sacramento in August.

SN&R

SouNd advice

VISIT NASCIGS.COM OR CALL 1-800-435-5515 PROMO CODE 961908 CIGARETTES

©2016 SFNTC (2)

*Plus applicable sales tax

Offer for two “1 for $2” Gift Certificates good for any Natural American Spirit cigarette product (excludes RYO pouches and 150g tins). Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offer and website restricted to U.S. smokers 21 years of age and older. Limit one offer per person per 12 month period. Offer void in MA and where prohibited. Other restrictions may apply. Offer expires 12/31/16.

—Fabian Garcia

—Mozes zarate Sacramento News and Review 06-23-16.indd 1

06.23.16 | SN&R | 37 5/19/16 11:19 AM

24 FRI

25 SAT

25 SAT

25 SAT

Silver Spoons

Face of Radio Party

Navid Izadi

Birdy

Naked LouNge, 8 p.m., $5

Cafe CoLoNiaL, 3 p.m., $10

Not sure if the members of local experimental-rock trio Silver Spoons are old enough to remember the delightful ’80s sitcom of the same name, but PoST-PuNk maybe that doesn’t matter.

They harken back to a dissonant, eerie late ’70s post-punk sound that is even older than the feel-good sitcom that bears their name. At times, their music is a jerky, angular and spazzy take on punk rock; other times, they wallow in dark, experimentalfolk soundscapes. It’s a little much to digest at first listen, but worth it—they’re one of the most unique alt-rock trios in Sacramento right now. 1111 H Street, www.facebook.com/thesilverspoonsband.

—aaroN CarNes

the red museum, 5 p.m., $8-$15

Kick off summer right by attending one of the largest musical events of the season: the Face of Radio Party organized by Elmer Martinez of the Sacramento band Brave Season. The event hosts more than 15 multigenre bands performing back-toback between Cafe Colonial and the Colony.

Picture Atlantic and Glacier Veins are among the few touring bands performing, but with such a huge afternoon of music, you know Sacramento will also INDIE be representing; Little Tents, Red Lanterns, VVomen, Flourish (pictured) and So Much Light will be in the lineup, just to name a few. 3520 Stockton Boulevard, www.facebook.com/faceofradio.

aCe of spades, 7 p.m., $20

This is not electronic dance music in the typical sense. Yes, people definitely dance to San Francisco native Navid Izadi’s electronica, but it’s more of a loose, ecstatic, free-flowing sort of moveElEcTRoNIc ment. Instead of anticipating the bass drop, it’s just you and the cosmic sounds, steeped in funk, soul, disco and hip-hop. The Crew Love member headlines Summer of Flow, a long evening full of underground art, deejays, installations and chill vibes that’s expected to go all the way until 4 a.m. If you want to avoid the $10 price tag, head over before 10 p.m. 212 15th Street, www.facebook.com/Navidizadimusic.

—JaNeLLe Bitker

Most of us met British singer Birdy through her affecting covers of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” and the Naked and Famous’ hipster summer anthem “Young Blood.” But the crooner has been busy with original work, releasing her third album, Beautiful Lies, last March. Born Jasmine van den Bogaerde, the artist’s stage name dates back to infancy, when her parents realized she opened PoP her mouth like a little bird when fed.

Adorable. Come see Birdy for her vocals that seem to burst from a woman who’s seen a lot more of this cold world than 20 years would allow, assuming you can find a ticket for this sold-out show. 1417 R Street, http://officialbirdy.com.

—steph rodriguez

—dave kempa

40 BEERS ON TAP THURSDAY 6/23: Gold Fish Races! 7pm $5 Buy in, Cash Pay Out to Winner!

LIVE MUSIC VOTED BEST BAR IN ROSEVILLE! 2015 -PRESS TRIBUNE

Join Team Drakes Brewing or Team Ballast Point

JUNE 24

BRIAN ROGERS

JUNE 25

CHAD WILKINS

With Specialty Brews on Tap:

JUNE 26

DYLAN CRAWFORD *

Drakes Red Label and Denoginizer

JULY 01

WORKING MAN BLUES BAND

Ballast Point Peanut Butter Victory At Sea, Sculpin, and Pineapple Sculpin

JULY 02

TODD MORGAN

JULY 08

SCOTTY VOX

FRIDAY 6/24:

JULY 15

BRIAN ROGERS

Island of Black and White 9pm

JULY 16

CHISTIAN DEWILD BAND

SATURDAY 6/25:

JULY 22

KEN KOENIG BAND

JULY 23

ANDREW BELLUE

JULY 29

PSYKICKS

JULY 30

INSIDE STORY

Kenny Frye-Country Cover Songs 9pm $2 Kill the Keg, $3 Wells, $4 Jim Apple Soda Specials No Cover Charges for Weekend Shows Happy Hour All Day Sunday 21+ Venue

4007 Taylor Road • Loomis, CA {EXIT I-80 TO SIERRA COLLEGE} 916-652-4007 • countryclubsaloon.com

* SUNDAY ACOUSTIC SESSIONS 2-5PM 27 BEERS ON DRAFT TRIVIA MONDAYS @ 6:30PM OPEN MIC WEDNESDAYS SIGN-UPS @ 7:30PM COMEDY OPEN MIC’S EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT 7:30PM PINT NIGHT MONDAYS 5-8PM

101 MAIN STREET, ROSEVILLE 916-774-0505 · LUNCH/DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK FRI & SAT 9:30PM - CLOSE 21+

38 | SN&R | 06.23.16

/BAR101ROSEVILLE

WHAT moRE IS THERE To lIfE THAn SEx, DAncIng AnD DEATH?

25 SAT

28 T UE

29 W ED

30 T HU

Juvenile

Together Pangea

Electric Six

Brass Bed

The Boardwalk, 7 p.m., $23.50-$27

harlow’s resTauranT & nighTcluB, 7 p.m., $12-$14

While countries in Europe and elsewhere were busy developing sex-positive sexeducation programs for their youngsters, in ’Merica, in the ’90s, we had a lot of awkward lessons from gym-slash-sex-ed teachers and a handful of very enlightening top-40 hip-hop songs. Among these educational tunes was “Back That Azz Up” by Juvenile, which hit the airwaves circa 1999 and really hasn’t stopped RAP causing a ruckus on middle-school dance floors since. Annunaki Phat, Fly Star Fresh, Apollo 13, Young Duela and Legend are also on the bill. 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale, www.facebook.com/ Terius-Juvenile-Gray-63307428948.

—deena drewis

Southern California’s Together Pangea straddles the line between depraved indie punks and button-down major-label commodity. They’ve put out PUnk Rock albums with Burger Records and took that clout to Harvest Records— home of Best Coast and Death Grips. Molds aren’t safe around Together Pangea, as shown on the group’s major-label debut Badillac, which shed the snot-nosed, garage-rock identity for an arena-ready sound. With Golden 1 Center unfinished and Sleep Train retired, Together Pangea will be closer to its roots with an all-ages Harlow’s show. Black Xs in the pit, PBR in the back.

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

—Blake gillespie

harlow’s resTauranT & nighTcluB, 7 p.m., $15

oak park Brewing co., 8 p.m., no cover

Electric Six, the cheeky, rowdy rock band from Detroit, has been going strong since 2003, when they released their two popular singles, “Danger! High Voltage” and “Gay Bar.” They released their eleventh record last year, titled Bitch, Don’t Let Me Rock Die! Songs are generally comprised of heavy-riffed anthem rock, and there’s a rock-opera inspired piece that may or may not be about Santa. Considerably macho and mostly fun, Electric Six’s music always revolves around sex and dance, and in the case of this new album, according to the band: mortality. After all, what more is there to life than sex, dancing and death?

2708 J Street, www.electricsix.com.

Local manager-turned-label-guru Chris Watson became quite a big name after Pennsylvania’s Dr. Dog blew up on a national scale. His label boasted lesserknown releases from artists including Sacramento’s own sadly defunct trio Frank Jordan. His new company is called Friendship Fever and comes at a time when our scene is due for some new love.

InDIE His latest find, Brass Bed, hails from Louisiana and brings a blend of lazy indie pop steeped in the tradition of noisy guitar rock. Opening up are local bands Honyock and the Rippers. 3514 Broadway, http://brassbedisbrassbed.tumblr.com.

—eddie Jorgensen

—amy Bee

THE WORLD’S GREATEST PINK FLOYD SHOW

Sunday, July 3

Friday, July 15

Friday, July 8

Saturday, September 3

Sunday, September 11

Voted Best Overall Gaming Resort & Hotel in Reno!

(800) 501-2651 • GrandSierraResort.com 06.23.16 | SN&R | 39

THURSDAY 6/23

FRIDAY 6/24

SATURDAY 6/25

#TurntUp Thursday, 9pm, no cover

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Spectacular Saturdays, 10pm, call for cover

BADLANDS

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

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.

BAR 101

Thursday Comedy Open Mic, 7:30pm, call for cover

CHAD WILKINS, 9pm, call for cover

BLUE LAMP

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

MATT RAINEY AND THE DIPPIN’ SAUCE, 8pm, call for cover

YUKMOUTH, 8pm, call for cover

THE BOARDWALK

TOMORROWS BAD SEEDS, RIOTMAKER,

101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 DOLLAR$HORT; 6:30pm, $13-$15

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.

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 6/27-6/29 Big Mondays happy hour all night, M; Karaoke, Tu; Trapicana, W Trivia, 6:30pm M; Open-mic, 7:30pm W, no cover SPARKS ACROSS DARKNESS, HOBO JOHNSON, ITS BREWSTER; 8pm W, $9

Diaper Party, 4pm, call for cover

JUVENILE, ANNUNAKI PHAT, FLY STAR FRESH, APOLLO 13; 7pm, $17-$20

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

ANDY BLACK, COLOURS; 6:30pm, $25-$30 DAVID BROMBERG QUINTET, 8pm, $40-$45

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

COUNTRY CLUB SALOON

4007 Taylor Rd., Loomis; (916) 652-4007

Goldfish Races and Brewery Tap Takeover, 7pm, call for cover

DISTRICT 30

Cosmic Gate, 10pm, call for cover

1016 K St., (916) 737-5770

FACES

ISLAND OF BLACK AND WHITE, 9pm, no cover

Corn Hole Tourney, 6pm Tu, no cover

KENNY FRYE, 9pm, no cover DJ Sourmilk, S.K.A.M Artist; 10pm, call for cover

2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

Everything Happens dancing and karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

DJ Lady Kier and Fashion Extravaganza show, 9pm, $10

DJ David Anderson and Lee Dagger, call for time and cover

FOX & GOOSE

CHICKEN & DUMPLING, 8pm, no cover

GILLIAN UNDERWOOD & THE LONESOME DOVES, 9pm, $5

RICH CORPORATION, EMPTY WAGON; 9pm, $5

Open-mic, 7:30pm M; Pub quiz, 7pm Tu; All Vinyl Wednesdays, 6pm W, no cover

Country DJ dancing, call for time and cover

Open-mic night, M; CARTER WINTER, 8pm T, $10

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

----Hey local bands!

WHITE KNUCKLE RIOT, BURN HALO, DEDVOLT, HATRIOT; 6:30pm, $15-$20

SUNDAY 6/26 Sunday Tea Dance and Beer Bust, 4pm, call for cover

Sunday Mass with heated pool, drag show, 2pm, no cover

EDM and karaoke, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5

GOLDFIELD TRADING POST

Line dancing lessons, call for time and cover

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366

Karaoke happy hour, 7pm, no cover

GOTCHA COVERED, 9pm, $5

FUNK ROCKERS, 9pm, $5

Trivia night, 7pm Tu; Bingo, 1pm W; Paint night, 6:30pm W, $25

HARLOW’S

KO & ELI, DLRN; 8pm, $8-$10

THE PURPLE ONES’ INSATIABLE PRINCE TRIBUTE, 10pm, $15-$18

ZEPPARELLA, STARS TURN ME ON; 9pm, ROYCE DA 5’9, GRAFH; 7pm, $18-$68; $18-$20 RADKEY, 10pm, $10-$12

TOGETHER PANGEA, PATSY’S RATS; 7pm W, $12-$14; ELECTRIC SIX, 8pm W, $15

1603 J St., (916) 476-5076

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693

THE HIDEAWAY BAR & GRILL

Punk and glam night with DJ Annimal, 9pm, no cover

LUNA’S CAFE & JUICE BAR 1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931

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

MIDTOWN BARFLY

Atomic Reactor, Bass Buddha; 9pm, $5

2565 Franklin Blvd., (916) 455-1331

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

NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN

Cactus Pete’s 78 RPM Record Roundup, 8pm Tu; Twisted Trivia, W DAVID HOUSTON & STRING THEORY, RUEBI JIMENEZ; 8pm, $6

TERRY SHARP, SYDNEY SHARP; 8:30pm, The High Anxiety Variety Show, 8:30pm, $5 $5

1111 H St., (916) 443-1927

VINNIE GUIDERA, CHRIS COTTA, GABRIEL AIELLO; 8pm W, $5 Salsa Wednesday, 7:30pm W, $5

BOTTOM FEEDERS, ROYAL SUNS; 8:30pm, $5

FOREST BAILY, JASMINE BAILY; 8:30pm W, $5

2708 J Street Sacramento, CA 916.441.4693 www.harlows.com COMING SOON 6/23 $8ADV 7PM

6/26 $10ADV 9:30PM

KO & ELI

RADKEY

DLRN

6/24 $15ADV 9PM

THE PURPLE ONES

6/28 $12ADV 6PM

TOGETHER PANGEA

PATSY’S RATS, DESTROY BOYS (ALL AGES)

INSATIABLE TRIBUTE TO PRINCE 6/25 $18ADV 8PM

6/29 $15ADV 7PM

ZEPPARELLA

ELECTRIC SIX

(ALL FEMALE LED ZEPPELIN TRIBUTE) STARS TURN ME ON

IN THE WHALE

6/26 $18ADV 6PM

ROYCE DA 5’9 GRAFH (ALL AGES)

40

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06.23.16

7/1 $15 6:30PM

JACQUEES (SOLD OUT)

07/03 07/08 07/09 07/13 07/15 07/15 07/16 07/18 07/19 07/22 07/23 07/24 07/26 07/27 07/28 07/29 07/30 07/31 08/01 08/02 08/03

J Ali Zyah Belle Life in 24 Frames Jeff Austin Band Vienna Teng Abney Park Slaid Cleaves Culture Shock Avery Sunshine The Joy Formidable Ghost the Robot Dick Stusso Buckwheat Zydeco James Hunter Richie Spice Jonathan Richman Albert Lee Black Milk BJ The Chicago Kid One Drop Moving Units

STONEYS GRAND REMODEL

COMING SOON

20 ON TAP CRAFT BEERS COMING SOON PLUS MANY CANS AND CRAFT BOTTLES NOW! GREAT DINNER SPECIALS NIGHTLY 6PM JUST $10 HAPPY HOUR 2-6PM DAILY

LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE

JUNE 23RD RY BRADLEY JUNE 25TH JEFF RICKETS KNCI COLLEGE NIGHT WEDNESDAYS NIGHT $3/$4$5 DRINK SPECIALS TIL 11 THURSDAYS COUNTRY THUNDER 18 & OVER B 92.5 HOT COUNTRY FRIDAYS SATURDAY NIGHTS 21 & OVER SUNDAY FUNDAY 18 & OVER COLLEGE NIGHT KARAOKE EVERY NIGHT! AMAZING FOOD AWESOME NIGHTLY DRINK SPECIALS FREE LATE NIGHT FOOD

1320 DEL PASO BLVD

STONEYINN.COM | 916.927.6023

OLD IRONSIDES

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

ON THE Y

670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731

THURSDAY 6/23

FRIDAY 6/24

THUNDER CHEF, 8pm, $5

SUNDAY SCHOOL, CASSETTE IDOLS, BAND MASTER RUCKUS; 9pm, $6

SATURDAY 6/25

SUNDAY 6/26

Open-mic stand-up comedy and karaoke, 8pm, no cover

WURM FLESH, SERPENT SPIRE; 7pm, $10

-

CASH CARTEL, BANJO BONES; 8pm, call ACOUSTIC SPACE TRAVELERS, 8pm, call for cover for cover

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 6/27-6/29

CALIFORNIOS, MOTEL DRIVE; 8pm, $6

MAJICKAT’S CAT STEVENS TRIBUTE, 5pm, $35

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover; Open-mic, 9pm W, no cover

Saturday night karaoke, 8pm, no cover

Open 8-ball pool tournament, 7:30pm, $5

Karaoke, 9pm Tu; Dart and movie night, 7pm W, no cover

THE PALMS PLAYHOUSE

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

PISTOL PETE’S

140 Harrison Ave., Auburn; (530) 885-5093

POUR HOUSE

1910 Q St., (916) 706-2465

Record Club Fridays with DJ Roger Carpio, 9pm, no cover

POWERHOUSE PUB

BRODIE STEWART, 10pm, $10

SUPERLICIOUS, 10pm, $10

RICK ESTRIN, 10pm, $10

Press Club Fridays with DJ Rue, call for time and cover

Pop 40 with DJ Larry, 9pm, no cover before 10pm

WIMPS, GRAVE LAKE; 5pm, $7; Sunday Night Dance Party, 9pm, call for cover

614 Sutter St., Folsom; (916) 355-8586

THE PRESS CLUB

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

SHADY LADY SALOON

Heavy Mondays, 9pm, call for cover Live band karaoke, 8pm Tu, call for cover; WILLIE K, 8pm W, $15

HOT CITY, 9pm, no cover

THE SWITCHBLADE TRIO, 9pm, no cover HUMBLE WOLF, 9pm, no cover

STARLITE LOUNGE

LITTLE GREEN MEN, ROSWELL, MECHANIZM; call for time and cover

THE JUDGE, GREEN RIVERS, GOODMONGER; call for time and cover

FAITH AND BULLETS, MOBLAND; call for DJ Nocturnal, Lefty, Dom P, MBorn, time and cover Manik; call for time and cover

STONEY’S ROCKIN RODEO

Country DJ dancing and live band karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 8pm, $5-$7

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 8pm, $5

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

Country DJ dancing, 8:30pm W, $5-$10

TORCH CLUB

Acoustic open-mic X-TRIO, 5pm; LISA MANN, 9pm, $6

BIG EARL AND THE CRYIN’ SHAME, 9pm, $8

GUN HILL ROYALS, 5:30pm, no cover; BLACK MARKET III, 9pm, $8

Blues Jam, 4pm, no cover; FRONT THE BAND, 8pm, no cover

RICHARD MARCH, 5:30pm T, no cover; ALICE WALLACE, 9pm W, $5

1409 R St., (916) 231-9121

1517 21st St., (916) 704-0711 1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797

PETER PETTY, 9pm, no cover

All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES CAFE COLONIAL

Zepparella with Stars Turn Me On Saturday 9pm, $18-$20.

Harlow’s Rock

BIRDY, LAWRENCE TAYLOR; 7pm, $20

1417 R St., (916) 448-3300 3520 Stockton Blvd., (916) 736-3520

White Knuckle Riot with Burn Halo, Dedvolt, and Hatriot Friday 6:30pm, $15-$20.

The Boardwalk Metal

Open-mic, 9pm, no cover

Cory’s Cult Cinema, 6pm, no cover

THE COLONY

3512 Stockton Blvd., (916) 718-7055

SHINE

1400 E St., (916) 551-1400

Open Jazz Jam, 8pm, no cover

DELAYED SLEEP, CHILINDRIA; 8pm, $7

Midtown Out Loud Open Mic, 8pm W, call for cover

ADAM BLOCK, NATE CURRIN; 8pm, $6

ACE OF SPADES FRIDAY, JULY 1

ALLEN STONE SUNDAY, JULY 3

BUCKETHEAD FRIDAY, JULY 8

RESTARYNED

CD RELEASE SHOW HEAT OF DAMAGE – NIVIANE - FAIR STRUGGLE - BROKEN

SATURDAY, JULY 9

THE WHITE BUFFALO THURSDAY, JULY 14

UNCLE KRACKER

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

ALL AGES WELCOME!

THURSDAY, JULY 21

P-LO

NOODLES - CALEBORATE

FRIDAY, JULY 22

CARCASS

CROWBAR – GHOUL - NIGHT DEMON

SATURDAY, JULY 23

JULIETA VENEGAS SUNDAY, JULY 24

DEJ LOAF

TUESDAY, JULY 26

SAVAGES

COMING

SOON

07/16 07/27 07/28 07/29 08/04 08/06 08/09 08/12 08/13 08/16 08/17 08/18 08/20 08/22 08/24 08/30 09/10 09/14 09/16 09/17 09/22 09/27 09/28 10/09 10/15 10/24 12/16

Melanie Martinez Belanova Ghostface Killah & Raekwon Biz Markie Aaron Watson Bear Hands/Atlas Genius Wavves Chase Rice David Allan Coe Matisyahu Scott Stapp Fitz & The Tantrums The New Pornographers Digitour Summer 2016 The Noise Explosions In The Sky Jake Bugg Josh Abbott Band Coheed And Cambria Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Jack Garratt Tech N9ne Echo & The Bunnymen Devin Townsend Project & Between The Buried & Me Halestorm Young The Giant Kidz Bop Kids

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL DIMPLE RECORDS LOCATIONS AND ARMADILLO RECORDS

06.23.16

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SN&R

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2016 SUMMER CONCERT SERIES LAKE TAHOE OUTDOOR ARENA AT HARVEYS

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PURCHASE TICKETS AT TICKETMASTER.COM OR APECONCERTS.COM

#TahoeConcerts

TotalRewardsTahoe.com Shows subject to change or cancellation. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start. ® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2016, Caesars License Company, LLC.

42 | SN&R | 06.23.16

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Goldfield Trading Post: $25 value for $12.50

Boulevard Skate Shop: $25 value for $12.50

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Crest Theatre Concessions: $13 for $6.50

Lola’s Lounge: $20 value for $10

Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen: $15 value for $7.50

Pitch & Fiddle Irish Pub: $15 value for $7.50

East Side Ride: $25 value for $15

Quick Quack Car Wash: $30 value for $18

To get great deals on concerts at Ace of Spades, Goldfield Trading Post and Harlow’s go to www.newsreview.com

Print ads start at $6/wk. www.newsreview.com or (916) 498-1234 ext. 5 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

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3BR, 3.5BA, 3092SF High quality custom home wheel chair accessible. Very low maintenance yard, built in exercise pool, close to Umpqua River and community college.

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For more information call Gagan Brar at 541-580-5646

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*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.

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ADVER Roommates gone wild I signed a lease with four other college girls before realizing one has issues.

She has one-night stands with people in our friend circle. She also talks about sex openly, even in front of parents and acquaintances. She had a boyfriend and was in denial of his lack of respect for her. They broke up. She slept around. I told her getting to know a guy first is generally a better route to go. She chilled out temporarily, but returned to old habits. I think she has a sex addiction. Her ex-boyfriend agreed to get back with her if the three of us slept together. Instead of being upset, she had the audacity to ask me. He also contacted me. I cut down social media contact with her and blocked him. My other roommates and I agree living together will be uncomfortable but they like her. So I’m stuck. I’ve set clear boundaries without being a bitch.

But how do I live with someone who has no boundaries?

themselves as Teflon, while silently telling themselves not to engage.

In other words, be kind but protect yourself.

You should also stop trying to analyze your roommate. Yes, she may be desperate for attention and affection. She may have low self-worth as a result of a past trauma.

But acting out sexually can also be a symptom of an undiagnosed mental health problem. You can suggest that she speak to a campus counselor. You can let a campus counselor know you are concerned. But be certain that your action stems from true compassion, and not an attempt to oust her from the lease.

If you do honor the lease, find a way to love her as she is, even if you don’t like her very much. Begin by forgiving yourself for believing you should have waited until you knew her better before signing a lease. Forgive yourself for not realizing sooner what a mess she is. Forgive her for hitting you up for a threesome. Accept that she is the way she is because that’s how she is. As you turn your thoughts upside-down, you will discover how to take care of yourself in the presence of someone who yearns to be cared for. That’s a valuable life lesson that you won’t learn in most college classrooms. Ω

Forgive her for hitting you up for a threesome.

Break your lease. The expense is tuition in the School of Life. A small fee compared to the emotional and mental cost of living in a tripwire household. Yes, I know you like the other roomies. But they are friends with the girl you need to unfriend, right? You are adamant she lacks the boundaries required for a healthy relationship. So why live with her?

Oh, I know—exiting would mean she wins. She gets to live with your friends.

She gets to hang out and party with them.

The other girls might want to invite you over but would worry about the vibe. Too much drama!

In your situation, here’s what adulting looks like: not expecting people to be capable of skills, insights or behaviors you believe they should have figured out by now. In her blog Adulting (adultingblog.com), Kelly Williams Brown cautions against engaging with “people whose behavior is far outside the bounds of reasonable human behavior. [It] will never-ever provide the desired effect for you. … There is but one direction sanity will flow, and it is away from you as madness spreads.”

She also suggests that people visualize

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Hey, what’s all this about a company in Santa Rosa getting raided?

I thought raids were a thing of the past?

—Lou Kout Sigh. You heard right. The CBD Guild (the company behind the brands Absolute Xtracts and Care By Design pills and tinctures) in Santa Rosa, was raided last week. According to reports, a disgruntled former employee went to the police and accused CBD Guild of making butane hash oil and concentrates. Using butane or other volatile solvent to make hash is illegal in California, although possessing or selling butane extracted marijuana concentrates is not illegal.

The police, the sheriff and a few DEA agents—I am not sure why the DEA was there, as federal law is supposed to keep the DEA from interfering with law-abiding cannabis collectives—raided six different locations, seized equipment and money and arrested Dennis Hunter, the head of the company. Hunter was charged with illegal manufacture of drugs and a few other things. His bail was set at $5 million.

Lo and behold, one day later, Hunter was released from jail and all the charges were dropped. Turns out the cops had bad info. Surprise.

CBD Guild wasn’t making butane hash; it uses carbon dioxide to make its concentrates. Not only that, CBD Guild had been working with Santa Rosa officials to set up guidelines and regulations about hash-making. This whole thing really makes the cops look bad.

And while it is great that no one will face charges, CBD Guild just lost a bunch of money and had all of its equipment seized. It will take time and more money for the company to get its stuff back. This raid was totally unnecessary.

Kristin Nevedal, Director of Americans for Safe Access’ Patient Focused Certification program, said in a press release: “Violations pertaining to the proper storage of solvents and waste materials associated with the manufacturing of noncannabis based botanical products are not uncommon.

However, such violations in the noncannabis botanical sector are enforced through a combination of fines and specified corrective actions. Only in extreme cases would immediate closure of the facility also be required.”

In other words, city officials should have treated their concerns as a civil matter and not a criminal one. How much taxpayer money was wasted on this raid? How many hours did law enforcement spend setting up these raids? All that work, all those man hours, just to have all of the charges dropped. Now that CBD Guild has been shut down (for now), what are their employees supposed to do? File for unemployment?

Great. More tax dollars.

The police really need to get it together and embrace the fact that medical cannabis isn’t illegal like it used to be. Sure, there are still some gray areas, but there is no need to be raiding anyone over weed.

Ever. I am sure that if they looked hard enough, the cops could find some real criminals (maybe start with bicycle thieves and work your way up from here) to arrest and maybe this time, they can make the charges stick. Ω

This raid was totally unnecessary.

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NOTICE TO CONSUMERS: The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 ensures that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use cannabis for medical purposes where medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of medical cannabis. Recommendations must come from an attending physician as defined in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug ’14 according to the federal Controlled Substances Act. Activity related to cannabis use is subject to federal prosecution, regardless of the protections provided by state law.

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FRee will aStRology

by Janelle Bitker

by rOB Brezsny

FOR THE WEEk OF JUNE 23, 2016 ARIES (March 21-April 19): “The past lives on

in art and memory,” writes author Margaret Drabble, “but it is not static: It shifts and changes as the present throws its shadow backwards.”

That’s a fertile thought for you to meditate on during the coming weeks, Aries. Why? Because your history will be in a state of dramatic fermentation. The old days and the old ways will be mutating every which way. I hope you will be motivated, as a result, to rework the story of your life with flair and verve.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Critics of text

messaging are wrong to think it’s a regressive form of communication,” writes poet Lily Akerman. “It demands so much concision, subtlety, psychological art—in fact, it’s more like pulling puppet strings than writing.” I bring this thought to your attention, Taurus, because in my opinion the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to apply the metaphor of text messaging to pretty much everything you do. You will create interesting ripples of success as you practice the crafts of concision, subtlety and psychological art.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): During my careers as

a writer and musician, many “experts” have advised me not to be so damn faithful to my muse.

Having artistic integrity is a foolish indulgence that would ensure my eternal poverty, they have warned. If I want to be successful, I’ve got to sell out; I must water down my unique message and pay homage to the generic formulas favored by celebrity artists. Luckily for me, I have ignored the experts. As a result, my soul has thrived and I eventually earned enough money from my art to avoid starvation. But does my path apply to you? Maybe; maybe not. What if, in your case, it would be better to sell out a little and be, say, just 75 percent faithful to your muse? The next 12 months will be an excellent time for you to figure this out once and for all.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): My meditations have

generated six metaphorical scenarios that will symbolize the contours of your life story during the next 15 months: (1) a claustrophobic tunnel that leads to a sparkling spa; (2) a 19th-century Victorian vase filled with 13 fresh wild orchids; (3) an immigrant who, after tenacious effort, receives a green card from her new home country; (4) an 11-year-old child capably playing a 315-year-old Stradivarius violin; (5) a menopausal empty-nester who falls in love with the work of an ecstatic poet; (6) a humble seeker who works hard to get the help necessary to defeat an old curse.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Joan Wasser is a Leo

singer-songwriter who is known by her stage name Joan As Police Woman. In her song “The Magic,” she repeats one of the lyric lines 14 times: “I’m looking for the magic.” For two reasons, I propose that we make that your mantra in the coming weeks. First, practical business-asusual will not provide the uncanny transformative power you need. Nor will rational analysis or habitual formulas. You will have to conjure, dig up or track down some real magic. My second reason for suggesting “I’m looking for the magic” as your mantra is this: You’re not yet ripe enough to secure the magic, but you can become ripe enough by being dogged in your pursuit of it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Renowned martial

artist Bruce Lee described the opponent he was most wary of: “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” In my astrological opinion, you should regard that as one of your keystone principles during the next 12 months. Your power and glory will come from honing one specific skill, not experimenting restlessly with many different skills. And the coming weeks will be en excellent time to set your intention.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): To celebrate my

birthday, I’m taking time off from dreaming up original thoughts and creative spurs. For this horoscope, I’m borrowing some of the Bold Laws of author Dianna Kokoszka. They are in sweet alignment with your astrological omens for the next 13 months. Take it away, Dianna: (1) Focus on the solution, not the problem; (2) Complaining is a garbage magnet; (3) What you

focus on expands; (4) Do what you have always done, and you will get what you have always gotten; (5) Don’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides; (6) Success is simple, but not easy; (7) Don’t listen to your drunk monkey; (8) Clarity is power; (9) Don’t mistake movement for achievement; (10) Spontaneity is a conditioned reflex; (11) People will grow into the conversations you create around them; (12) How you participate here is how you participate everywhere; (13) Live your life by design, not by default.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): No pressure, no

diamond. No grit, no pearl. No cocoon, no butterfly. All these clichés will be featured themes for you during the next 12 months. But I hope you will also come up with fresher ways to think about the power and value that can be generated by tough assignments. If you face your exotic dilemmas and unprecedented riddles armed with nothing more than your culture’s platitudes, you won’t be able to tap into the untamed creativity necessary to turn problems into opportunities.

Here’s an example of the kind of original thinking you’ll thrive on: The more the growing chamomile plant is trodden upon, the faster it grows.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The royal

courts of Renaissance England often employed professional fools whose job it was to speak raw or controversial truths with comedic effect.

According to the Royal Shakespeare Company, Queen Elizabeth once castigated her fool for being “insufficiently severe with her.” The modern-day ombudsman has some similarities to the fool’s function. He or she is hired by an organization to investigate complaints lodged by the public against the organization. Now would be an excellent time for you to have a fool or ombudsman in your own sphere, Sagittarius.

You’ve got a lot of good inklings, but some of them need to be edited, critiqued or perhaps even satirized.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn

journalist Katie Couric is a best-selling author who has interviewed five American presidents and had prominent jobs at three major TV networks. What’s her secret to success? She has testified that her goal is to be as ingratiating and charming as she can be without causing herself to throw up. I don’t often recommend this strategy for you, but I do now. The coming weeks will be prime time for you to expand your web of connections and energize your relationships with existing allies by being almost too nice. To get what you want, use politeness as your secret weapon.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “The water cannot

talk without the rocks,” says aphorist James Richardson. Does that sound like a metaphor you’d like to celebrate in the coming weeks? I hope so. From what I can tell, you will be like a clean, clear stream rippling over a rocky patch of river bed. The not-really-all-that-bad news is that your flow may feel erratic and jerky. The really good news is that you will be inspired to speak freely, articulately and with creative zing.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Every now and then

you may benefit from being a bit juvenile, even childlike. You can release your dormant creativity by losing your adult composure and indulging in free-form play. In my astrological opinion, this is one of those phases for you. It’s high time to lose your cool in the best possible ways. You have a duty to explore the frontiers of spontaneity and indulge in I-don’t-give-a-cluck exuberance. For the sake of your peace-of-soul and your physical health, you need to wriggle free of at least some of your grown-up responsibilities so you can romp and cavort and frolic.

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.

Eggs, explained It’s tough to imagine brunch without eggs. They dot menus in the form of omelets and scrambles, but they’re also in the hollandaise and French toast and waffles. Without eggs, brunch would be all oatmeal and fruit salad, and none of us would want it at all. At lots of area restaurants, you’ll see chefs proudly touting eggs from Vega Farms. Ramsi Vega started working full-time at the Davis-based farm 12 or 15 years ago—he can’t remember, it’s been so long—under his father, Ed Vega. Now, it’s a full family affair, with Ramsi’s brother and wife in tow, and the kids helping out in the summertime. Ramsi took some time to chat with SN&R about the farm’s history, raising chickens and exactly how he likes his eggs.

How’d your dad come to start a farm?

He came from Peru. He was sent by his company to UC Davis to finish up his postgrad work in avian genetics, then he decided to stay here and raise his family.

We are four in the family. … Anyways, he decided to stay here, worked for a company for a little bit, then he opened up his own farm in 1989. What’s funny is actually, well, how did you hear about us?

I’ve gotten your eggs at the farmers market.

Yeah, so, a lot of people know us for the eggs. … But actually, that’s only about 20 percent of our business. Our business, which is what my dad originally started and what really motivates him, [is breeding]. We do baby chicks. We have about five different lines and we have clients who take anywhere from two dozen baby chicks per hatch to 10,000 to 20,000 baby chicks. It depends on what the customer wants. We do layers, we do meat birds, we do something in between. We do heat-resistant strains—my dad developed those lines.

How’d you get into restaurants?

We started at the Davis Farmers Market and the Davis [Food] Co-op and, this was back in the ’90s, I remember chefs like Patrick Mulvaney and Kurt Spataro wanted fresh eggs. They liked this fresh-egg-from-a-localfarm idea. … Right now, it’s real popular, because everyone wants to know where their food came from. Full Belly Farms, Riverdog Farm, etc., they all buy our baby chicks. … Our bigger clients that take 20,000 to 30,000 a week, they’re down in the Valley and raise them for specialty meat markets.

Ramsi Vega (left) and his father, Ed, raise chickens and sell eggs for the family business.

PHOTO BY LUKE FITZ

Is it weird to see chickens you sold to someone else and—

is the freshness of the egg. A white egg takes a little bit less, you have to input less into the bird in terms of feed—that’s why they’re cheaper. Also, the breed of hen that gets you that white egg is more proficient. You’ll get more eggs per year from a white-egg breed than a brown-egg breed. That’s mainly the price difference.

We’ve always worked with brown-laying hens, so that’s where we’re at.

And then they’re next to us in the aisle?

Yeah, and for $8 per dozen.

Yeah, it’s weird, but also, the alternative to that would be to buy something out of state that’s not local. There aren’t a lot of hatcheries around here. … Everyone has their niche, whether it be soy-free or however they raise them. It’s kinda weird, but at the same time, Northern California in general is kinda on the same team. We all wanna buy local and produce local.

How often do you eat eggs?

One time, I bought a dozen of your eggs and they were all double yolks.

How does that happen?

First off, they’re totally normal, totally safe to eat. There’s nothing weird about them.

What happens is when hens are young, they lay smaller eggs—you get the small-, peewee-, medium-sized eggs. And then you’re gonna see an egg every once in a while that comes down as a huge egg. It looks like a regular large-sized egg. But if you look at it next to a bunch of small ones, it’s very obvious what it is—100 percent double yolk. What’s going on is the hen, when they’re learning to lay an egg, they accidentally drop two yolks into one egg.

I go into these phases where I’ll eat five or six eggs one day and then I’ll skip a couple days, then I’ll have five or six the next day.

On average, I’ll probably eat two or three a day, but not with all the yolks. I’ll usually take some yolks out.

How do you like your eggs?

Mainly sunny side up.

What do you say to people who hate runny eggs?

(Sighs.) You know, no one has really told me their opinion on yolks. But what would I say? I don’t know how people couldn’t like it. (Laughs.) It’s so good. It gets all over the place. You get toast and—I don’t know—how do you not like that? Ω

Why do you only sell brown eggs?

There’s nothing wrong with white eggs.

Brown eggs and white eggs are virtually the same nutritionally. The main difference

Learn more about Vega Farms at www.vegafarms.com.

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