The following is the July 9 edition of Cultural Capital, an arts and entertainment newsletter written by Abridged contributor Chris Macias. Want it sent directly to your inbox? Sign up here.
Are bookstores the new Cattle Club? I’m still buzzing from last week’s concert and conversation at Amatoria Fine Art Books. Mike Blanchard and the Californios enchanted the room with their harmonies and stellar Americana sound. Then, I had a blast leading a Q&A with Mike following their set and picked up the “John Cage Was” photo book that I’d been eyeing.
This marked the fourth show at the bookstore in partnership with Abridged by PBS KVIE, and the fifth was just announced. Jakhari Smith, a poet of a hip-hop artist, will take the mic backed by his live band on July 24, followed by a Q&A with Abridged contributor Natachi Mez. Limited tickets are available now on Eventbrite.
Meanwhile, an exciting week awaits with musical homages to video games, a marriage of crafting and brews, an art market shaded in blue and much more.
Grab your Nintendo Switch and let’s go!
Want to discover more events across the Sacramento region? Check out Abridged by PBS KVIE’s new searchable events calendar.
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In your inbox every Thursday, Abridged's entertainment newsletter from Chris Macias highlights things to do in the Sacramento region.
A rush of video game music
The details:
- MusicLandria, 808 O St., Sacramento
- 1-10 p.m., July 11 (Saturday)
- $20
It’s just about time to get immersed in the soundtracks to Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, but you can leave the controllers at home. Plan to rock out and dance along instead.
The River City Rush Video Game Music Festival debuts Saturday at MusicLandria, with a dozen acts playing over two stages. Note that some of the groups will play original tunes, but the bulk of the music will focus on video game homages. Those include interpretations via heavy metal, hip-hop, Latin jazz and more under the umbrella of Video Game Music (VGM). The show also features an original composer, Aivi, best known for writing the music for the Cartoon Network’s “Steven Universe.”
The festival is held in conjunction with MAGWest, a music and video game festival set for San Jose in mid-August. Sacramento is a perfect spot to set off these video game celebrations on a musical note. The Advantage was a pioneering VGM act and favorite on the local indie-rock scene in the early 2000s with its covers of Nintendo video game songs.
The area is also home to the Video Game Orchestra at UC Davis, along with numerous arcades and retro game shops like 1-Up Retro Video Games and Dave’s Retro Video Games. Note the Woodland Opera House is also hosting a “Musical Screenshots: Anime to Video Games” concert on July 10.
The River City Rush Video Game Music Festival’s founder is “Elbow,” the frontman for Floating Continent who prefers being identified by his video game handle. He thinks the musical side of Sacramento VGM could level up even more.
“We noticed that Sacramento doesn’t really have an active scene locally, which surprised us given that the very first successful game music band (The Advantage) came out of this town,” Elbow wrote in an email. “So we set out to try to put on a show that both showcased local talent in this niche as well as connected that talent to the larger regional and national scene.”
Elbow hopes that River City Rush will become an annual festival, and plans to organize smaller shows outside of it. His overall goal is to invigorate VGM in Sacramento as a whole.
“VGM is not really a genre in itself as much as a context,” he said. “(It) can be any genre of music! What brings it all together is a love for the source material and the experiences we have all shared.”
Pay respects to a hard rock legend
The details:
- Hard Rock Live, 3317 Forty Mile Road, Wheatland
- 8 p.m., July 9 (Thursday)
- $19.55
July 22 marks one year since Ozzy Osbourne passed away, a somber day for all those who like their music on the heavy side. But the music from rock ‘n’ roll’s Prince of Darkness lives on at Hard Rock Live with Crazy Train: America’s Ozzy Experience.
This tribute band cranks away on tunes from Ozzy’s Black Sabbath days, such as “Sweet Leaf” and “War Pigs,” through his years as a hit solo artist and MTV icon. Throw some devil horns and pay your respects.
Get tangled up in blue artistry
The details:
- Latino Center of Arts & Culture, 2700 Front St., Sacramento
- 6-8:30 p.m., July 11 (Saturday)
- Free
Stan Padilla’s “Caminos Mundiales” at the Latino Center of Arts and Culture represents one of the area’s most vibrant art exhibitions at present. The show represents Padilla’s world travels to gather blue pigments, featured in Cultural Capital’s June 11 edition, and Saturday’s “Blue Night Market” continues the theme. Get immersed in Padilla’s art while sipping blue lemonade mocktails and scouring the market for his beautiful jewelry and prints.
Get crafty in a house of craft beer
The details:
- Blue Note Brewing, 750 Dead Cat Alley, Woodland
- 6 p.m., July 9 (Thursday)
- Free entry
Grab your favorite rotary cutters, cardstock and glue — and a pint of your preference. “Arts & Drafts” is on tap for Thursday at Blue Note Brewing. Come meet with locals who like getting crafty while savoring beers and what gets my vote as the best pizza in Woodland.
More events happening this week
- Olde Tyme Radio Show at Sutter Street Theatre in Folsom on July 11 (Saturday).
- WWE (a.k.a. Chris Webster, Tracy Walton, Bill Edwards) at The Side Door in Sacramento’s Curtis Park neighborhood on July 11 (Saturday).
- Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen 20th anniversary party with bands and bike polo expo in Midtown Sacramento on July 11 (Saturday).
Before I go,
I dug the recent story by contributor Daryl V. Rowland on Roseville’s music scene. Give it a read to learn more about the folks who are running the venues and determined to keep rocking the ‘burbs.
Drop me a line at christo916@gmail.com. See you next week!
Chris Macias is a regular contributor, writing Cultural Capital for Abridged by PBS KVIE.