New Sunday jazz series in Oak Park and more March music — The Sacramento Beat
Not sure about the rest of you, but that “fool’s Spring” February weather got us extra excited for more concerts — especially with this week’s announcement of a new outdoor venue, The Backyard, opening this summer near Cal Expo. We’re not quite in full-on outdoor music season just yet, but plenty of music is afoot for March.
Local artists, message Aaron Davis on Instagram if you have upcoming shows, @adavis_threetosee.
Sacramento six-string jazz fixture and noted everywhere-man Ross Hammond just fired up a delectable new free afternoon Sunday Jazz series, debuting over President’s Day weekend, at the cozy confines of Old Soul 40 Acres on Broadway in Oak Park (4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Free). Hammond serves as host for the series and will make sporadic appearances as a performer, with shows currently scheduled through April 21. On the calendar for Sundays in March are Tumble (Sunday), Tony Passarell 4tet (March 10), Ross Hammond & Ron Ochoa (March 17) and Jon Raskin Trio (March 24), with Alex Jenkins, Dyne Eifertsen & Ross Hammond (April 7), Little Blue Bird (April 14) and Falcons House Band (April 21) thus far for next month.
It’s really not a surprise to open up the calendar for Grass Valley’s Center for the Arts and see a bevy of top talent at any given time — but my goodness, March is packing a wallop, to the point where it’s tough to process all of these names. Buckle up: folk/blues/jazz standouts Wood Brothers with the delightful Rainbow Girls (March 5), the venerable Glenn Miller Orchestra (March 7), veteran funk/rock/soul maestro Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe (March 9), legendary troubadour Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group (March 19), blues and jazz darling Madeline Peyroux premiering some tunes from her forthcoming new album (March 22), pop-tinged indie folk rockers the Lone Bellow out on their 10th anniversary tour with Jonny Fritz, and alternative “freak-folk” pioneer Devendra Banhart (March 26). Settle down, Center for the Arts. But, seriously, keep it up (thecenterforthearts.org/events).
Colorfully intense dream-dipped disco pop dazzlers Moxy The Band host a bittersweet local sendoff for their enigmatic frontwoman Amber DeLaRosa, who is soon to depart Sacramento for points east (Nashville) — but assurances are abound in the comment threads that this geographical realignment does not signal a breakup for the laser-lit band, nor is DeLaRosa abandoning the leading role she so fiercely tends. Her Sactown swan song figures to be a hoot with Nat Lefkoff and Timothy Brown fleshing out the bill (7 p.m. Thursday, March 7 at Harlow’s. $15/$18. harlows.com).
As I pen this listing, the team from the City of Trees Parade is over at Oak Park Brewery canning up a batch of their special event beer, a golden ale brewed specifically to be cracked and glugged during their sprawling Mardi Gras-themed 2024 parade - the 2023 edition of which was pure delight. There’s a bevy of music and performing arts troupes lined up in two parade waves to loop through Capitol Mall throughout an afternoon of joyful revelry. VIP packages and other ticket bundles are available for pre-purchase along with GA (Saturday, March 9 on Capitol Mall. curiositycollaborative.org/city-of-trees-parade).
For the second year in a row, local funk/soul mainstays Gold Souls pair with upstart non-alcoholic cocktail slingers the Teetotalist for an zero-proof evening gig. Last year’s show was on the rooftop at Teetotalist’s original temporary digs on K Street — this time it’s over at their most recent pop-up spot, Propagate Plants & Gatherings (7 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 9. 1700 I St. $30. propagatesac.com). Teetotalist just wrapped up their residency at Propagate, with this show serving as something of a capstone to their time in that space, however they recently announced in an Instagram post that a permanent location for the booze-free social club is on the way, at the same corner of 17th and I, with eyes toward a summertime opening.
“California soul” merchants, Chico rock royalty and always among the more superb touring bands in this or any other state, Mother Hips are swinging back to Harlow’s for the first time since late 2022, showing off some rollicking tunes from their latest record “When We Disappear” and with support from local staple Forever Goldrush (9 p.m. March 22. $32. harlows.com). In a slightly hilarious scheduling twist, seven days later, Later Days, a Mother Hips Experience brings its tribute act to Old Ironsides, helmed by original founding Hips bassist Isaac Parsons (8 p.m. March 29. $10. theoldironsides.com)
We’re going to postulate that a hefty amount of space can be found in the center of the Venn diagram of fandom between emotively gleaming rockers Dawes and flamethrowing indie pop duo Lucius. While relatively disparate in their respective approaches, intertwined in each act’s ledger are tales of hearts smashed, pieces chaotically flying through the air and seemingly lost forever, and the long and whimsical journeys to stitch them back together — oh, and there’s plenty of stinging rock ‘n’ roll, retro glam-pop, and stratospheric balladry that goes straight for the gut and never lets up. But on this “Tag Team Tour: An Evening with Dawes & Lucius” affair, it’s all being mashed together, with the two acts playing as one band and multiverse jumping between their two catalogs. Frankly, we have no idea what to expect here — and that may be the most exciting aspect of this wildly unexpected pairing (7 p.m. March 23 at Ace of Spades. $53.50. aceofspadessac.com).
The Little Charlie Baty Celebration is approaching sold-out stage - step lively on tickets for the third annual iteration of this gig honoring the departed former Nightcats frontman, and fundraiser for the Sacramento Blues Society’s music scholarship in his name. Rick Estrin & the Nightcats headline with special guests in Texas gunslinger Anson Funderburgh, Alabama Mike, Marcel Smith, Kyle Rowland and others joining the party (7 p.m. March 28 at Harlow’s. $40-$75. harlows.com)
SacYard Community Tap House again opens up its stage to the 4th Annual Dante DaPrato Music Celebration, honoring the life and music of the River City High School Graduate who tragically passed away at the age of 18 in 2018. A group of familiar faces comes out to honor DaPrato, with the River City Regiment Band, composed of current River City High students and alums, and surf rockers PHROGG kicking it off — DaPrato formerly drummed for both acts. Americana/roots standouts Mike Blanchard & the Californios, and SacYard staple collective Home B4 Dark round out the bill. Free admission as always at SacYard, but donations are being accepted for music scholarships for River City High students. (4 p.m. March 30. 1725 33rd St. sacyard.beer).
We’re going to peek ahead to early April for electro-folk rock heroes Hurray for the Riff Raff, since tickets don’t figure to last for another month — but mainly, it’s going to take us at least that long to pick ourselves up off the mat from a couple spins of “The Past is Still Alive,” their haymaker of a new record released in February. This mastercraft album may well prove to be the magnum opus of their still-blooming catalog — that is, if the world has not burned to ash before the next chapters can be written, as the penultimate track “Ogallala” suggests it may. We advise caution with that song, if you don’t want your psyche taken apart piece by piece, haphazardly toyed with and wantonly tossed back into the box like a discarded jigsaw puzzle (With Sen Morimoto. 8 p.m. April 2 at Harlow’s. $21. harlows.com).
