The Sound and the Fury: Assessing Sacramento’s Music Scene

Presented by California Groudbreakers

Back Event Jun 25, 2018 @ 6:30 pm

The past year has brought a lot of good sounds to Sacramento’s music scene. Mayor Steinberg announced the City would rethink its ordinance on buskers and outdoor music performers. It also hired a new “Creative Economy” director to think how arts and music can get a bigger boost here.

Golden 1 Center and Ace of Spades (now owned by Live Nation) have brought bigger music acts to town, and Holy Diver has gotten top marks for taking over the Starlite Lounge and showcasing up-and-coming national acts. Local musicians like Hobo Johnson and Sister Crayon (now known as Rituals of Mine) have gotten national attention. First Festival has survived tough times and just wrapped up its fourth annual showing.

But there are still some sour notes. The Police Department is still called out to turn the music down. Gentrification means long-time music venues are getting complaints from new neighbors. Local musicians say they lack community support due to a lack of small venues, rehearsal spaces and frugal audiences who don’t want to pay. And when our musicians hit it big, chances are they’ll still move elsewhere to build their career.

So what should Sacramento be doing to boost its local music scene, and its musicians? Should we look at top music towns like Austin or Nashville and follow their lead? Or are we doing just fine creating our own plan? We’ll talk with local music aficionados — musicians and the people who book and promote them — about how we can achieve perfect pitch in the capital city.

To register, click here.