4.28.2025-5.4.2025
Celebrity week here in the 916 😎
Hello again! Welcome to another newsletter where I tell you where to go and when, but only in the realm of music of course. I had the pleasure of going to Channel 24 Friday night to see Tycho play and let me tell you, that venue is awesome. The set-up and flow within the building works, no traffic jams, the drinks were good and not too expensive and the sound is amazing! Plus there is a great view of the stage from wherever you are. These things cannot be underestimated. Do yourself a favor and go see a show there! Maybe the one I’ve included down below. Let’s jump in! We got actors in the city this week.
Monday, April 28th: Press Club Open House at Press Club or Motown Monday at Low Brau - So, we all love live music, yes? That’s why we’re here (or you just guilt subscribe to me which is fine too) and part of our responsibility as music-goers is to help venues understand what is working, what isn’t working and what rocks!
So, true, this isn’t strictly a show, but I think y’all should show up at Press Club in their new space and help them know what you’re thinking. I went there recently to the DEFEM show and I thought it was a really nice space. It had a big bar—good prices also—with lots of seating and the room for the music was well configured with a great view of the stage from wherever and the sound was pretty nice for a smaller room. I want to tell them I liked it. So, I encourage you to visit them during their Open House, 5PM to 8PM, and give them a piece of your mind, in a respectful way of course. It’s free!
If being a constructive member of our society isn’t for you, then head to Motown Monday at Low Brau. If you’ve lived here for a while, then you’re already familiar with the vibes—show up and get down—but if you’re not, just imagine a nice dance floor, some very talented DJ’s—DJ Epik and DJ Billy Lane are the commanders but guest DJ’s show up all the time—playing oldschool sounds and a bar right next to you. With the weather warming up, the patio at Low Brau becomes a hot spot. Enjoy!
No ticket necessary to Motown Mondays but show up before 9 PM
Tuesday, April 29th: Josh Radnor at The Sofia - Did you ever watch How I Met Your Mother? I didn’t…to be perfectly honest. But I am peripherally aware of pop culture and as such, I know who Josh Radnor is! To surprise all you fans out there, he is also a musician, specifically dealing in folk-Americana on the guitar. And according to critics and fans alike, he isn’t too bad at it. Come see Ted Mosby play guitar.
Wednesday, April 30th: Phane at Cafe Colonial - Do you think Canadians are meek? This band might defy your expectations in that regard. Phane does charged hardcore punk. A lot of loud vocals, and crazy guitar riffs. This subgenre of punk descends from the punk we know and love, but it’s faster and louder and more brutal. Inspired by the movement of music called UK82—after an Exploited song of the same name—this band might thrash harder than you’ve ever witnessed. Be ready to get into the pit.
Thursday, May 1st: John Splithoff at Harlow’s or Wallows at Channel 24 - John Splithoff does soulful singer-songwriting really well! He has a great, velvet-y voice and he plays both guitar and piano. His music sidles between R&B and pop, with a lot of crossover between both. His list of collaborators and partners in the industry is lengthy, starting with Chris Botti jumping to Quinn XCII, down to Autograf, up to Fletcher and around to Toro y Moi along with many others. We’re jumping genres like mad rabbits. The guy is versatile, ok?
If that’s not your scene, then we move to our other celebrity in town. Wallows, consisting of three band members, one of whom is Dylan Minnette—of 13 Reasons Why fame—does alternative indie-pop with their more recent music leaning just slightly into the rock genre. With three albums under their belt and multiple hit songs, including a feature from Clairo—our resident cool girl, if she supports, we know they’re here to stay—Wallows is staying relevant and on top, with their current tour. They will actually be doing 2 shows at Channel 24, due to the first one selling out in like half of a day! So, if you wanna dance and enjoy the beautiful new venue, go see Wallows.
Friday, May 2nd: Jon Wiilde at Concerts in the Park - If you’re not aware of what Concerts in the Park (CIP) is, first, you should know, it’s free (read: free. In this economy!)
And second, CIP is the largest, longest-running free music festival in Sacramento. It takes place every Friday usually starting in early May and going till the end of June. The format goes: local DJ, local band or artist—sometimes two— and then the headliner (who is also sometimes local.) The first one of this season will be featuring some heavy hitters, including DJ Nadz, Sara Beth, LabRats and Jon Wiilde. LabRats, we have seen before here in the blog, they have a sort of residency on Sunday nights at the Torch Club, and they play great and vibrant jazz.
Jon Wiilde, also from Sacramento (916!), plays multiple instruments, due to being a music teacher for years, and his style runs from rap beats to soft, melodic piano, with a healthy sprinkling of psychedelia scattered throughout. He has collaborated with Guapdad 4000, Bugbee and K Hella. This will be a really cool show with great weather and a festive atmosphere.
No tickets necessary! Things kick off around 6 PM, at Cesar Chavez Park
Saturday, May 3rd: Cryogeyser at The Starlet Room - A trio of talented musicians comes together to make amorphous and non-categorizable music. Shoegaze..kind of!? Dream-pop maybe? Droning guitars are key to Cryogeyser. And with some of their newer songs, even triphop makes an appearance. Lyrics are important but not key, there’s a lot of sound that just rushes over you. Normally, MJ Lenderman would be there as well but they are on a solo tour so we are gonna see a new version of Cryogeyser and they’re gonna rock our world.
Sunday, May 4th: Jacquees & Dej Loaf at Ace of Spades - I genuinely feel like if you’ve been listening to the radio at all over the last 10 years, you’ve heard songs by both of these artists. Try Me by Dej Loaf took up months of air time and is a certified ear worm. She’s been in the XXL Freshman Class, she’s opened for Nicki Minaj, I mean she’s Dej Loaf. With flows that are easy and languorous, lyrics that are equally approachable and tough, we get an excellent woman rapper. We need all the ones we can get. Coincidentally, Dej Loaf released a mixtape with Jacquees, titled Fuck a Friend Zone, who she is performing with. This tour is called F#*K A FRIEND ZONE. We are getting the best of both worlds here!
Jacquees, the self-proclaimed King of R&B—I don’t know about all of that but—has a sultry voice and is very good at metaphorically singing about sex. Rolling Stone magazine called his voice “melismatic” which is quite the word! Webster’s defines melismatic as “the style of singing several notes to one syllable of text” which basically means he’s going up and down and showcasing that voice quite often. I like him but I like other R&B singers a bit more.
Dej Loaf though, there’s only one Dej Loaf.
Forecasting for the future 🔮
Perfume Genius at The Sofia on May 14th
Coco Jones at The Sofia on June 2nd
Thank you all for reading and please, if you think you know someone who would like this, send it to them or encourage them to subscribe!
Additionally, I’ve started to receiving tips about shows, because, as one could guess, there’s no way I alone can know everything that’s happening in one night here in town so if you have a tip on a show, or you think there’s something I am missing, text me at (209) 565-1629. I’ll be on the case 🕵🏻♀️