Archive for August, 2011

The Naked and Famous at Harlows Tonight!

In the mood for some super happy and energetic electro dance music? The Naked and Famous are playing at Harlow’s tonight! The Naked and Famous have only been around for a year or so, but they’ve become hugely popular in their native New Zealand and are gaining followers in the United States and all over the world. You’ve probably heard their irresistibly catchy song “Young Blood”—it’s guaranteed to get you in a good mood. A comment on the YouTube video for the song sums it up well : “MGMT and Passion Pit just had a BABEHH”.

Tickets are only $15 and the show starts at 8.  No word yet on whether the band will be clothed.

Win a Free Backyard Makeover!

Summer may be almost over but, as we all know, the warm weather will linger in Sacramento for another couple months. For those of you lucky enough to have backyards to enjoy the late summer/early fall weather in, SAFE Credit Union is putting on a contest in which you can win a free backyard makeover worth $6,000! The grand prize includes outdoor accessories and furnishings from Orchard Supply Hardware, as well as a personal consultation with an Executive Care landscaping expert.

To enter to win, just go to this website: https://www.safecu.org/mybackyard/index.aspx and click on the package that appeals to you. You can choose the “Ultimate BBQ Spot”, the “Scene for Entertaining”, or the “Serene Retreat”. Each one includes some pretty cool stuff—I entered to win the “Scene for Entertaining” because it includes pink flamingos and something called a “night sky firepit” (not sure what that is, but it sounds awesome).

The best part about the contest is that you can go back to the website every day and vote to increase your chances of winning. Each week, they add a new item to the grand prize, which you can also vote on. You can vote once a day until September 30th.  Good luck!

Apparently this is a nightsky fire pit. Cute!

Midtown in Bloom

I’m obsessed with flowers. These are some pretty ones I discovered while walking around Midtown.

 

^ These flowers are called "naked ladies" 😉

^ The flowers matched the house!

One thing I noticed is that most gardens are very disorganized…in a good way. People just let their flowers grow how they want to grow.

 

^ I liked that whoever is responsible for pruning these roses left one long stem sticking out the top

 

 

I constantly want to pick the flowers I come across, but maybe I should think twice with this lady’s yard…

 

Go enjoy the Midtown flora before summer’s over!

 

Alley Katz

I’m a Midtown newcomer. I grew up in Sacramento but never truly experienced midtown until this year, after I turned 21 and my boyfriend moved to Midtown. Since then, I’ve become addicted to Midtown’s beauty and culture, and I’ve started spending more and more time here. Although I have frequented the better-known Midtown bars and clubs, it’s interesting that the place I keep coming back to is somewhat off the radar, and doesn’t exactly fit the hip Midtown vibe.

Alley Katz opened on 21st and O about 6 months ago. My friends and I were intrigued by the giant red neon cat sign (which has since been taken down, to my shock and disappointment), and we’ve been regulars ever since. We’ve nicknamed the place “The Scratchin’ Post” because let’s face it, “Alley Katz” isn’t the greatest bar name ever, even if your last name is Katz (but you get bonus points if it is).

At first, it looked like the Scratchin’ Post was going to be a beer-only establishment, which was fine; they’ve got the best selection of beer I’ve seen in Sacramento. True to my newbie hipster mentality, I’m not overly price-conscious, but their prices are reasonable and they have specials every night. Whenever I go in I try a new interesting beer: yesterday was the He’Brew’s “Rye P.A.” Alley Katz’s own brewed beers are also good and very cheap (I like the Honey Blonde).

The bartenders are friendly but not very knowledgeable about the beers they offer (to be fair, there are a lot). Yesterday I asked why it was called a “Rye P.A” and got only a blank stare. They will let you sample things, but be careful—you might end up blindly ordering something you didn’t mean to. I went in a few weeks ago with a group and ordered a tower (a ridiculous plastic contraption that holds approximately three pitchers) of what I thought was Deschutes Black Butte Porter. It turned out to be Black Butte XXI, a limited edition 11% ABV heavy porter. Clearly the girl tending bar didn’t realize this because we got an absurdly good deal. The beer was delicious, but before I realized what I was drinking I’d downed three pints and I was cursing that bartender the next day.

The Scratchin’ Post began serving hard alcohol a few months ago, inevitably luring in the frat boys and douchebags. This brings me to one downside of Alley Katz—the crowd. For a while the Scratchin’ Post drew in a wide range of people, but lately it seems to have settled into a more “bro-y” sports bar niche. Case in point:

Personally, I don’t really mind this, but I usually go in on a weekday afternoon or early evening. The one time I went on a Saturday night, every table had a tower on it and country music was blasting nonstop on the jukebox. The potentially obnoxious crowd, paired with the fact that Alley Katz is fairly new, seems to turn people off. One of my friends said she prefers “divier” bars, which I took to mean bars with more history and character. She conceded that if Alley Katz is still open in ten or twenty years it will probably have the same vibe as Old Tavern or Round Corner.

As it is, the Scratchin’ Post hasn’t really found its grounding in Midtown, but it has potential. I appreciate the size of the bar (places the size of the Golden Bear make me claustrophobic), the free foosball table, the excellent beer selection, and the awesome sandwiches (try the Toby Club). I also enjoy coming to a place where people recognize me (they don’t exactly know my name, but at least they’ve stopped carding me). My boyfriend is getting really good at foosball, I’m working on a high score at Big Buck Hunter, and it’s a fun place to try out new beers two blocks from home. It may not be perfect, but my friends and I keep coming back to the Scratchin’ Post because we feel welcome; we were part of discovering it, and no matter what direction it takes, we’ll have a place there. And isn’t that what Midtown is really about?

–Sarah Hansel

 

September MidMo cover shoot

click for video
we’re getting a little eerie for the fashion issue

Sacramento International Film and Music Festival Starts Today

by Sarah Hansel
The Sacramento International Film and Music Festival is taking place this week at the Crest Theater. The festival, now in its 11th year, is running from August 17th to the 21st. Films from all over the country will be shown and local musicians Autumn Sky and Duke’s Place will perform.

The Sacramento International Film and Music Festival is unique in that it’s one of the few film festivals around that doesn’t require filmmakers to pay an entry fee, so it truly showcases a wide range of talent. Every year the Festival concludes with a showing of the 10×10 entries, which are 10-minute films that contestants have only 10 days to create. Speaking from personal experiene (my boyfriend has entered 10×10 films two years in a row now), these entries never fail to be entertaining. The limited time span and restrictions (each film must include two assigned props and follow a specific theme—this year’s is “Image and Color”) really put pressure on filmmakers to be innovative. It’s an interesting cross section of local creativity. Plus, there’s an after party at Parlare on the night of the 21st, so you can hobnob with all the local film celebrities.

Tickets to the entire 5-day event are $60, and tickets to individual events are $10.

The full schedule of events can be found here: http://www.sacfilm.com/schedule.html

Here’s the trailer for tonight’s feature, Jimmy Murakami Non Alien:

Small, Medium, Large

SML Men’s Clothing by Melody Stone

Read more »

Wine Picks – August 2011

Read more »

Verge Movie Night!

The next Verge Movie Night is coming up. It’s our one year anniversary and to celebrate we’re having a FREE screening of Russ Meyer’s Mudhoney and an, ahem, erotic short 35 mm film. PLUS we will have weenies and Sacramento treats for sale!

Thursday, August 18th
7:30 pm
Verge Center for the Arts (625 S st)

Tonight’s King Tuff show is CANCELLED

Hot off the tweet: TONIGHT’S KING TUFF SHOW AT THE DAVIS BIKE CO-OP IS CANCELLED! Bogus news, but missing the Ganglians at Luigi’s to drive to a cancelled show in Davis would be even more bogus.

Here’s a lil Tuff to tide you over: