Art: That music of the night
Midtown's monthly Second Saturday Art Walk has become an earful as well as an eyeful
By Rachel Leibrock -
[email protected]
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, August 8, 2008
Story appeared in TICKET section, Page TICKET8
It's a hot and muggy evening at 20th and J streets in midtown Sacramento, and the streets are literally vibrating with noise.
A rock band is playing on one corner and, directly across the street, a three-piece is working its way through a blues set.
Meanwhile, just around the corner, H. Letham, a five-piece indie rock band, has drawn a crowd in front of the 20th Street Gallery.
As the band launches into a song, the vibe is a bit chaotic. As hordes of people wander the streets, streaming in and out of galleries, there's music blasting from every direction. Unless you're standing directly in front of a band, it's hard to tell just who's making what noise and where.
In the past year, as Second Saturday has evolved from a pleasant monthly outing into a full-blown cultural phenomenon, so has its music scene. Every month, more galleries, shops and restaurants set up sound systems and invite artists to perform. The result is a street fair atmosphere – and a new citywide effort to regulate the party.
Meanwhile, Sharameek Williams loves every minute of it. The 33-year-old Rancho Cordova resident, who has journeyed into the grid for the evening, is taking in the sights and sounds.
"I just walked down here from the Capitol and got to hear some jazz and now there's this," Williams says, watching as H. Letham's guitarist as he leaves the makeshift stage and moves through the crowd, still playing his guitar.
"The music draws people," she says. "You can get out, see some art, listen to some music, it's really nice."
SaraJane, owner of the SaraJane & Co. art gallery, agrees.
Second Saturday's recent music explosion, she says, is a long-overdue experience.
"Other cities have stuff like this going on all the time," says SaraJane, who added live music to her Second Saturday events immediately upon launching her 21st Street gallery in November.
"When we opened, we did it from the perspective of individuals who frequent Second Saturday – we tried to produce something we would enjoy," she says.
Still, SaraJane says, she's more than a little surprised by just how many galleries have followed suit in recent months.
"All of a sudden it just blew up, and it seems like everyone is doing something."
Over at the 20th Street Gallery, co-owner Joanie Pope Ferry thinks adding a band or artist to the evening makes sense.
"Music is just another art form, and it gives artists another venue to show off what they do," she says. "And, for people in the community, it's just another part of the entertainment."
Autumn Sky, a Folsom- based singer-songwriter, brought her guitar to the Crepeville patio on the corner of 17th and L streets. She's playing with her friends in the bands Transporter Rabbit and calls the event "one of the best shows I've ever had downtown."
"There are a lot of people coming by who are interested in music and art, you just get such good exposure," says the 19-year-old musician.
It's not Sky's first such gig; she's also played Second Saturday shows at the True Love Coffeehouse and the Tangent Art Gallery.
The appeal, she says, is playing to people who may never hear her music otherwise.
"These shows have done what I hoped they would," she says. "I get a lot of adds on MySpace; some people have even ended up coming out to my other shows."
Just down the street at the Bows & Arrows vintage boutique, Mark Badovinac, 37, is observing the scene. Badovinac's band, the Polymers, just finished a set and now the members of Hearts & Horses, an electonica indie pop duo, are setting up while people swirl through the store, looking at the art and browsing through clothes and furniture.
Behind the band, girls move in and out of the dressing rooms, trying on vintage dresses, modeling them for friends.
"There's a real benefit to these shows," Badovinac says. "You get exposed to people who might not come out to see you at a club like Old Ironsides or the Fox & Goose – I really like that more places are doing this."
But when is good too good?
Joanie Pope Ferry worries that the scene is, perhaps, getting too crowded.
"I walked around in shock this month. There were bands on every corner, setting up and playing," she says.
"If you've got too many bands playing at once (on the street) it's just noise – it should be limited to just one band per block."
Rob Kerth, executive director for the Midtown Business Association, also recognizes the potential for chaos and complications.
But, he says, "it's a great problem to have."
"We've got a whole bunch of folks coming in to put on a show and have an audience," he says. "There's a lot going on in midtown and people just want to be a part of it."
Nevertheless, Kerth says, his office has fielded anxious queries from both gallery owners and patrons.
"There is the concern that this is getting to be too much of a good thing," he says.
"We want to spread it out a bit – we don't want to have bands playing on top of each other on the street."
One action has already been put in place to address the issue.
In July, the City of Sacramento's Parks and Recreation Department started enforcing a requirement that any business or individual playing amplified sound – be it music, spoken word, etc. – must obtain a one-day special-events permit.
Parks and Recreation superintendent Teresa Jackson says it's not a new rule – just one that's been updated to address Second Saturday's ever-growing popularity.
"Second Saturday really took off this year," Jackson says. "This was done to make things go a little more smoothly."
The free permit program, implemented in June, is meant to streamline the system. The process includes filing out an application and submitting to a drive-by location inspection.
"We've always required that businesses that have amplified sound get an annual entertainment permit," she said.
"But that involves so many requirements, such as inspections and occupancy load issues," she says. "The special-events permit is for businesses that only do such events once a month."
In July, 13 businesses obtained the one-day permit. In August, that number rose to 15. So far, Jackson says, permit enforcement has been "light."
"If we see a corner with two bands playing, we'll just ask one of them to move," she says. "If they don't have a permit, we're not going to just shut them down but we'll probably ask them to relocate to an area where there's not already music happening."
For SaraJane, it's a good fix for a good predicament.
"I agree that the music needs to be spaced out but, really, there's no downside to any of this," SaraJane says.
"I like to listen to music, walk around, see people and enjoy the music," she says. "I like to have a little fun with my art."
Headed out for some Second Saturday art fun?
Here are a few places hosting live music this month.
20th Street Art Gallery
911 20th St., Sacramento
Art from Rod Swenson and live music with Pan Human.
6 p.m.
For more information:
www.20art.net or
(916) 930-0500
Bows & Arrows
1712 L St., Sacramento
Art from the Asbestos Press and Johnny Flores; live music with Their Horses
6 p.m.
For more information:
www.myspace.com/bowsandarrows1712lst or
(916) 444-3606.
SaraJane & Co.
908 21st St., Sacramento
Art from Bad Otis Link, live music with Jason Welt, Times of Desperation and Large Hairy Beast.
6 p.m.
For more information:
www.sarajaneandco.com or (916) 446-8985.
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