Dazy, out with new album “OUTOFBODY,” will perform Monday, Jan. 23, 2022, at Starlet Room.
Chromatic
Happy New Year, Sactown! Hopefully the bacchanalia and winter weather havoc of New Year’s Eve doesn’t linger too heavily, before you recharge for a new year of concerts.
Local artists, message me on Instagram if you have upcoming shows, @adavis_threetosee.
We’re a little late to the party on this one, but a cozy new music series is blossoming — nay, flourishing — at the southern tip of College/Glen. Twin Lotus Thai restaurant has been offering up a savory variety of dinner-seated jazz shows over the last several months, curated by renowned ivory tickler Joe Gilman, who owns Twin Lotus along with his wife Kai. The calendar is already loaded up for the early weekends of 2023. This month, Twin Lotus welcomes Gavin Eckler Quartet (Jan. 13), the “Streisand meets Chris Botti” of Steve and Ann Roach (Jan. 14), a retrospective “Brief History of Jazz” performance (Jan. 15), folk fixture and former New Christy Minstrels member Darrell Effinger (Jan. 21), vocalist Valerie Weinberg (Jan. 22), Kristen Miranda (Jan. 28) and a rare Sacramento appearance from stalwart vocalist Vivian Lee (Jan. 29). Advance reservations for dinner seatings on music nights can be made online, and are highly encouraged (www.twinlotusthai.com).
January’s slate of Wednesday “Blues and Bourbon” gigs at the Starlet Room comes in hot for ’23, started off with R&B/swing tinged Red’s Blues toting along a double-sax horn section comprised of Marty Deradoorian and Danny Sandoval back on Jan. 4, as well as jazz and blues standouts Proxy Moon. Coming up: Guitar gunslinger Derek Fresquez & Cuttin’ the Cord (Jan. 18) and Dave Earl Blues Quartet (Jan. 25). All shows start at 6:30 p.m. (www.harlows.com)
Late in the month, the Center for the Arts also welcomes Sam Grisman Project, performing a tribute to the beloved acoustic repertoire performed by his father David Grisman alongside longtime pal Jerry Garcia (8 p.m. Thurs. Jan. 12. $30), as well as bluegrass outfit Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (8 p.m. Thurs. Jan. 26. $33-$43. thecenterforthearts.org/events).
Alright, confession time: At the hopelessly lost age of 19, this reporter absolutely could not stand Macy Gray’s eponymous rasp-soul debut single “I Try” when it came out in 1999. I held onto the anti-Macy sentiment until seeing her and band open for David Bowie in 2003. Twenty years later, I suppose I can admit I got that one wrong, and I knew it as soon as I saw her perform — what do any of us know at 19, anyway? Sitting here and spinning her feisty new album “The Sellout,” I regret it even more. (7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at Crest Theatre. $35-$57. crestsacramento.com/events).
The new record “OUTOFBODY” from upstart rock outfit Dazy was mixed by Justin Pizzoferrato, whose credits include Dinosaur Jr. and the Pixies, and oh boy does it show – in a way that suggests someone crushed an upper into J Mascis’s drink and force-fed him hours of Ramones records, “Clockwork Orange” style. Helmed by frontman James Goodson, Dazy’s new work grand prix through a pop-conscious, fuzz-laden and jovial brand of garage rock and streaking punk, all cleverly stitched but ultimately indifferent to motives other than the from-the-gut joy of blasting the amps. Guitar-forward indie pop outfit Alien Boy starts the party (8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, at Starlet Room. $13/$15. www.harlows.com).
We’re not quite sure what to expect when the trio of Shawn Colvin, Sarah Jarosz and Marc Cohn get together on stage at the same time, but the pedigree of each on their own is enough to stir the feels. As compared to the other two, Jarosz is a relative newcomer, but her most recent record “Blue Heron Suite” packs a spacious and atmospheric crossover gut-punch that few folk/jazz fans could withstand (and we dare you keep your composure throughout her cover of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”). Paired with Colvin and Cohn — architects of songs like “Sonny Came Home” and “Walking in Memphis, respectively – and it’s hard to imagine passing this one up (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Crest Theatre. $45.50-$75.50. crestsacramento.org/events).
A real treat for the foothills as venerable bluegrass outfit Yonder Mountain String Band visits the cozy Miners Foundry in Nevada City, still touring behind their zesty 2022 release “Get Yourself Outside.” The rejuvenating record oozes the familiar brand of spit-shined songwriting acumen that has made the group one of the recognizable string-only troupes on the planet. Having bid adieu to longtime fiddler and vocalist Allie Kral last year, founding members Adam Aijala Ben Kaufmann and Dave Johnston remain the group’s core (alongside more recent addition Nick Piccininni) as the band rolls into 2023 prepped to celebrate its silver anniversary — that’s 25 years, to spare you a Googling (8 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 26. 325 Spring St., Nevada City. $35-$38. www.minersfoundry.org).
