Going the Distance
It’s been 20 years since Cake emerged on the local music scene, at first playing every tiny venue from Old Ironsides to Java City. Now Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart are fans, and their songs are being used by the likes of Jay-Z and Apple. With the band’s first new album in seven years coming out this January, we take a peek inside the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle of Sacramento’s unlikeliest pop stars.
Wayne Thiebaud as Photographed by Irving Penn
In 1993, one of the world’s greatest photographers took a portrait of this Sacramento artist as a younger man. But it was never published—until now.
Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark
For decades, movies and cartoons have borrowed heavily from classical music. But now, from L.A. to Decatur, Illinois, orchestras are turning the tables. Perhaps it’s time to lower our lights, turn on the projector and try a little Bugs with our Brahms.
Raising the Roof
Cities everywhere are discovering the environmental (and aesthetic) benefits of green roofs. And from Chicago to Austin, city halls that are setting the example. As a city with our own green ambitions, isn’t it time we planted some seeds of change?
A Bridge to Our Future
With a year-long study about building a new bridge for the River City in its final stages, now is the time to think big and bold. But forget New York and San Francisco. Let’s follow Redding’s lead instead.
Q&A with Deftones Keyboardist/DJ Frank Delgado
In late 2008, Deftones were finishing up their sixth studio album when a devastating car accident left their bassist, Chi Cheng, in a coma. Now the platinum-selling Sacramento quintet is back with a new member and a new album, Diamond Eyes, which has been hailed by everyone from Spin to the BBC. Keyboardist/DJ Frank Delgado reminisces about the band’s early days at the Cattle Club and what it was like to win a Grammy, and opens up about the struggle of moving on without “brother” Cheng.
The Pour de France
In recent decades, American cities have begun celebrating Bastille Day—July 14—with a waiters’ race modeled after a historic Parisian competition. It mixes tradition and civility with modern-day philanthropy and urban excitement. On your mark, get set, Bordeaux!
Up in the Air
With no observation decks in Sacramento, only a few lucky high-rise office workers and helicopter traffic reporters get a bird’s-eye view of our town. But in cities like Chicago and Houston, tethered balloons are giving locals and visitors a whole new reason to look up
A Claes Act
Just ask San Francisco, Milan or even Des Moines: Landing a larger-than-life sculpture by Claes Oldenburg in your city is an artistic triumph. But if we want our own, we need to act fast. He's in his '80s. And yes, he’s still taking commissions.
A Walk on the Wild Side
In 2005, while tethered to a robotic arm 220 miles above the surface of the Earth, Sacramento native and UC Davis grad Stephen Robinson made one of the most famous—and dangerous—spacewalks inhistory. His mission: to remove debris from heat tiles on the belly of the Space Shuttle to prevent the craft from burning up on re-entry. On Feb. 7, our hometown astronaut returns to space for his fourth, and likely last, NASA voyage. He’s living proof why, yes, sometimes it really does take a rocket scientist.
Meals on Wheels
Urban streets lined with food trucks have long thrived in metropolises like New York and Chicago. But in recent years, western cities like Portland and Austin have seen an explosion in mobile eateries, too, boasting convenience, ethnic diversity and recession-friendly prices. With a little civic cooperation, Sacramento could enjoy its own moveable feast.
A Birthday Wish
In a collision of artistic serendipity, our city’s greatest artist, Wayne Thiebaud, and our greatest museum, the Crocker, both celebrate major milestones next fall. Here’s why we hope they both take the cake
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