Archive for April, 2010
by Tim Foster Photos by Jesse Vasquez
For one weekend each year, a panoply of the beautiful and bizarre overtakes the Shepard Garden and Art Center in McKinley Park. Spikes and leathery skin mingle with delicate flowers and flowing hair; bold, colorful stripes stand out against desiccated, parchment-like hides; sawtoothed ridges rise from fleshy limbs. Brought by careful guardians, these odd specimens will nearly overtake the Center and attached courtyard, creating a riot of biodiversity that could never take place in nature. The Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society is in the house. Read more »
The dates for the KDVS fundraiser have come and gone and they have not reached their goal. It is absolutely not too late to donate and receive and awesome premium. Among the cool things you can “buy” are a CD of live studio appearances handpicked by DJ Rick, A VHS mystery pack, a photography session with MidMo’s own Jesse Vasquez (you can look at beautiful as our cover models!), or a really good deal on DJ Services.
Also, lots and lots more.
You should give as much as you can, the station plays and supports local music, puts on fun shows and they allow nerds to do things like this – KDVS float – Picnic Day 2010
Our pal Micah Kennedy died one year ago today. Micah was a Midtown institution until he headed for SF close to a decade ago. I can still picture him tinkering with his rusty Dart, nursing a Heineken or three, or playing fiery guitar unlike anyone else. His band, the Tiki Men, owned Midtown’s music scene in the mid-nineties, and few who saw him play ever forgot it.
Micah touched a lot of people. We posted a memorial for him here last year and the friends and family who commented told the story better than we ever could have. We miss you, Micah.
Don’t miss tonight’s opening night screening of The Art of the Steal at the Crest Theatre. The event is Verge Gallery and Studio Project’s first public fundraiser to collect money for the complex’s recent relocation. There will be a panel discussion immediately following the film including:
Dr. Elaine O’Brien, Professor of Contemporary Art and Art History, CSUS
Dr. James Housefield, Associate Professor, History, Theory, and Criticism of Design, UCD
Robin Bernhard, Collections manager, Richard L. Nelson Gallery and Fine Art Collection, UCD
Dr. William Otton, Retired Director, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
Doors open at 7, show starts at 7:30
Tickets $15 adults $10 students
Click this link for the trailer.
’59 Chevys didn’t, as a rule, come with seat belts- they weren’t standard equipment on passenger cars until 1966 when they were mandated over the howls of the auto industry. Though solidly built, a 1959 Chevy is still no match for the solidity of the original carbon fiber, the tree. Nor is the driver.
Sadly, Asia Tuchsen, who works over at the So-Cal Speed Shop on Del Paso, across the street from Lil Joes, discovered the truth in all of the above last Friday when her ’59 Biscayne was sideswiped, sending her into a tree at full speed. She suffered facial fractures, severe lacerations, bruised ribs and more. Tuchsen is reported to be in good spirits, but without health insurance she is looking at large medical bills.
Tuchsen, as one might expect from her vocation, is a gearhead. She built and worked on the Biscayne herself, and had recently returned from the Viva Las Vegas show in Nevada. The top photo is from Billetproof, the trend-setting bay area car show that helped spark the international revival of ‘traditional’ hot rods and kustoms- i.e. cars built in pretty much the same style as Sacramento legends Dick Bertolucci and Harry Westergard would have done them a half century ago. Sacramento has always been a car culture town, and it is no surprise that the hot rod and kustom community has jumped to Tuchsen’s aid.
Sacramento Swing Time and So-Cal have organized a benefit to help with Tuchsen’s expenses. We don’t have a lot of details yet, but the event will take place from 1 – 9PM, Sunday April 25th at the California Auto Museum. The event will feature live bands, DJs, BBQ and a burlesque show. For more information call: 916-709-7360. Donations may also be made to:
So-Cal Speed Shop Sacramento
1715 Del Paso Blvd.
Sacramento, CA. 95815
memo: Asia Tuchsen
There are tons of things to do this Friday, April 16th, like support the Verge Gallery, see Ganglians at Sol Collective or watch Mike Farrell shred at Old I. What I recommend, however, is checking out Ha Ha Heathens , a night with four Atheist comics at Sacramento Comedy Spot. Of course you know Sactown’s pride Keith Lowell Jensen, recently featured on the George Lopez show, and he will be joined by the hilarious (and handsome!) Matt Gubser and two other comics who I can only assume are also atheists. Word is it is close to selling out, so get your tix today. And when it does sell out, go support the Verge before your rock and roll show. Unfortunately, I will miss all of this because the baby Jesus came to me in a dream and told me to go to Seattle for the weekend.
Just heard that one of my fave lunch spots, Vintage Cafe at 21st and L, is closed and is being remodeled into a sports bar… bummer. Truly too good to last…
Transatlantic Feedback, the documentary about bizarro 60’s proto-punk band The Monks will screen tonite at DJ Roger’s Record Club Movie Night at the Townhouse.
Take five US GI’s stationed in Germany circa 1960, add rock and roll, electric banjo, bald spots shaved into their heads, noose neckties, anti-war anti-Beatle songs built on angular jagged rhythms and you have the Monks. The Monks influenced acts as diverse as Jimi Hendrix and Can, and are often cited as progenitors of noise rock and new wave. Unlike a lot of over-hyped rock ‘legends’ The Monks were everything they were reputed to be, and the back story is even stranger than the stage show.
7:30 PM, All Ages, Free
Town House, 1517 21st Street
Here are some pictures that didn’t make the cut. These are some friendly patrons at JJ Chicken and Fish. I just drove by the outpost of this restaurant in Oakland last night. We are fortunate to have on here in Sac.
The guy on the right drove the banana pudding in from Richmond. The guy on the left saw me taking pictures and wanted in on the action.
We just got word that local mover/shaker Sonny Mayugba is recovering after a severe accident at Squaw Valley earlier today. David Watts Barton, Sonny’s compatriot over at the SacramentoPress reported via Facebook:
“No details on the accident, but he broke four ribs and his pelvis. He also had a collapsed lung, which was the big worry, but they reinflated it and it appears to be holding. He’s in good spirits and has started rehab on the pelvis. No word yet on a release date.”
Mayugba has been a very familiar face in Midtown at least since he first popped up in Phallucy and Daycare, mainstays of Sac’s early nineties rock scene. He became even better known for his involvement in Heckler– a local skating/snowboarding mag that ‘went global’ with a devoted worldwide paying (!) readership. These days he’s involved with a non-print publication, SacramentoPress, where he seems to wear many many hats. I last saw Sonny at DeVere’s St Patty’s day party where he was sporting the beer-friendly hard hat above.
Best thoughts to Sonny and family for a speedy recovery!