Nebraska Mondays

I was completely blown away by the performances at last night's Nebraska Monday at Luna's Cafe in Midtown. 

I didn't even know what to expect. I heard about the weekly Monday night jazz/spoken word/experimental music series only because my boyfriend was scheduled to DJ in between sets.

This went beyond expectation. 

The caliber of musicians, the price of the event [ranging anywhere from $5 and up - basically whatever you can spare], and the spirit of the room and venue made this probably one of the best night's I've experienced since moving to Sacramento.

I'll go into the separate performances in a bit, but first I have to talk about the intimacy of the setting. Luna's Cafe and Juice Bar is by far one of the best venues for this kind of music in the area. It's small, warm, and inviting. Not to mention they have an amazing menu with simple dishes [veggie/vegan friendly] that won't break the bank. For $10 you can pay to get in, order a nice glass of wine, and enjoy music I promise you've never heard before.

Hosted by jazz musician and one-half of the talented duo ElectroPoetic Coffee, Ross Hammond booked three acts that all embodied the creative essence of musical exploration.

First up was Daryl Shawn, a solo artist and guitar player who began playing at the age of 16, and continued his musical education at the Berklee College of Music. His influences range from jazz to African and classical.

Last night, he strummed, recorded, and mixed his music live using a pedal, and an audio and mixing board. He twisted and distorted his recordings and ended up sounding like a full experimental band!

Ken Kawamura - Saxophone; Tony Passarell -
Saxophone; Gerry Pineda - bass; James Neil - drums

The Ken Kawamura Quartet followed up with some of the best saxophone solos I've heard in a really long time. Each solo explored an extensive range of notes and technique.

It was moody, exploratory, at times explosive jazz. It was Lynchian. It was Fred Madison at the Luna Lounge. *Note* Ken Kawamura hadn't named his last two pieces and decided at that moment to name them both "Revenge" - dedicated to his ex-girlfriend.

Last up was the Steuart Liebig Trio, which consisted of Ross Hammond on guitar, Tom Monson on the drums (BTW - he's the drummer for CAKE right now), and of course Steuart Liebig on bass.

Liebig was a thrilling bass player who has a full and varied musical career, and who also had quite the electronic set up for just one instrument. He had at least 8-10 pedals that he used to distort and the change of the effect of the bass sound.

What was extremely inspiring about this performance were the solos of all these musicians. Their entire set was evocative, and really showcased their individual as well as collective talent.

If you are looking for something, ANYTHING, to do on a Monday night, please check out Nebraska Mondays at Luna's Cafe. Every week there is new line up of exciting music, and poetry/spoken word performances. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

>> For more photos from last night, go to Paduta's Facebook <<

Neo Crocker | A Modern Culture Party (Recap)

The view of the Neo Crocker Modern Culture Party

Okay so I got lucky . . .

I got a free ticket to the first major event at the new Crocker Art Museum since the grand opening. It was a hefty ticket price [$75 presale/$95 at the door] and it wasn't until I arrived that I understood the high cost.

When you walked in, in front of you short films were projected on one of the sides of the museum. DJ Shaun Slaughter was spinning records as fire dancers performed on the main stage.


There was laser show, a huge bar, waiters walking around with delicious hors d'oeuvres, and this is just what was going on as you arrived! Guests were dressed up and I'm not only talking about looking fancy - some folks were wearing extremely eccentric and artistic outfits - one man wore a jacket covered with watches.

A few separate events were going on inside the museum itself as well. On the ground floor early on there was a fashion show and music.

RJD2 (picture left) opened his show at 11 PM with the Mad Men theme "A Beautiful Mine" and continued for the rest of the night performing his other popular tracks and doing some classic DJing as well as the rest of us danced our butts off!

As awesome as all of this was (and oh, it was!), I was most impressed and moved by ElectroPoetic Coffee's performance on the third floor - which happened to also be in my favorite room in the new museum.

This extremely creative duo is made up of jazz musician/guitarist and host of improvisational music series Nebraska Mondays at Luna's Cafe Ross Hammond and poet/spoken word artist and neo folk singer NSAA (pronounced "en-sah-ah").

The combination of moody electric guitar and smart, insightful poetry in the art museum setting created a memorable experience that was extraordinary and memorable. One of the audience members was actually moved to tears by ElectroPoetic Coffee's music and words. I highly recommend checking out this duo as well as their separate work.

See them soon at:

Phono Select Records
Tuesday | Oct. 19th | 7 PM

24th Street Theater (LA)
Friday | Oct. 22nd | 7:30 PM

Sol Collective
Saturday | Oct. 30th | 9 PM


All together the event was exciting and vibrant. Keep an eye out at Crocker's website to see when new events and shows are happening!


>> Check out the rest of our Neo Crocker photos on Facebook <<

Neo-Crocker 2010 | Modern Culture Party

Last Sunday, I (along with most of Sacramento) attended the opening of new Crocker Art Museum. I have to say I was completely blown away by the clean, white modern structure. Inside there was wonderful natural lighting from the multitude of glass windows, and what I liked best was the bridge they built connecting the historic Crocker with the new structure.

Not only that but entrance was free for the entire day!

The whole affair was certainly geared toward two specific age ranges: the very young, and the very . . . not so young. At the O Street Stage, the Shadechasers (that's right) performed songs from the American songbook (a.k.a. "Old McDonald Had a Farm") to the youngsters sitting on their fishy rugs. And at the Main Stage traditional Greek dancers wowed the audience.

Nothing really for anyone in their late teens to mid-30s, well except the art of course.

What some of you might not know, is that the new Crocker has a staffer who is booking indie acts (especially local ones) to perform there. For anywhere between $10-15, you can catch some of your favorite bands performing in a pretty cool, unexpected venue.

If you can't wait until December 16th when Chelsea Wolfe will be taking the stage, this Saturday from 8 PM - 2 AM the Crocker is hosting the Neo-Crocker 2010: A Modern Culture Party.

RJD2 will be the headliner of the evening, with supporting performances by local favorites like DJ Shaun Slaughter, NSAA & Ross Hammond, and Exquisite Corps to name a few.

Plus there will be fire-dancing, a free form fashion show, a Social Sculpture by Danny Scheible, video mashups and short films by Movies on a Big Screen, and more!

Aye, but's here's the rub - like many things with "neo" in front of it, this is a pretty pricey event: $75 presale, and $95 at the door. Here's the deal, if you have the money, come out and support a great event and this beautiful new museum. If not, save up and come out to one of the many less expensive shows the Crocker has scheduled starting December 16th.

>> More pictures from the Crocker Museum Opening <<