Saxual healing

Funky treasure: Getting acquainted with a dark, alternative and relatively asexual version of Badlands took some time. My last visit to the club was all pink sequins, bare skin and wandering hands.

But this was a special night put on by Requiem Events, the team responsible for regular rave-y dance nights at Midtown BarFly. Headliner Treasure Fingers merited a bigger space; the Fool’s Gold Records producer exploded after his hit “Cross the Dancefloor” back in 2008 and has since regularly enjoyed playing much, much larger clubs than, say, Badlands.

Considering his set didn’t start until midnight on a weekday, the turnout wasn’t too shabby. People were mostly dressed in all black, but naturally, there was at least one person in a furry onesie and neon accessories. I appreciated the extra room to comfortably thrash around. Fathom Sound’s system was powerful, with the bass vibrating your insides in just the right ways. And the laser lights were rad—almost like the ones Pretty Lights brought to TBD Fest, but on a smaller scale. Plus, Jell-O shots.

When Treasure Fingers finally took over, though, I didn’t notice for a while. It’s not that I expected a big outpouring of cheering, but the first 30 minutes of his set sounded interchangeable with a lot of generic house deejays. There was no dynamism. The crowd thinned. I grew bored. But one glorious, old school saxophone sample signaled phase two of his set: funky disco that warmed the soul. It was like he was saving the good stuff for the dedicated partiers, the people who would go to work the next morning hungover and daydream of heavy bass.

Then, very suddenly, the sound faded. Treasure Fingers waved goodbye under the Badlands disco ball. It was only 1:30 a.m. The remaining dancers assumed they’d have at least 30 more minutes of fun and screamed for an encore, but Treasure Fingers quietly put away his headphones instead.

An apologetic voice came over the speaker: “Blame Sac PD.”

Talent search: If you’re a local musician—or dancer, poet or other artist for that matter—with a passion for engaging underrepresented communities, the Crocker Art Museum may want to hear from you. The Crocker’s Block by Block initiative will throw block parties in city districts 2 (North Sacramento), 5 (Oak Park) and 8 (South Sacramento) this spring specifically to increase arts accessibility. It’s funded by the James Irvine Foundation and is a collaboration with the Crocker, Sol Collective and Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum. Meanwhile, the ZFG Promotions crew is working on a mobile stage and art gallery that will pop up throughout Sacramento with a special emphasis on these Block by Block events.

Again, if you are one of these interested artists, visit http://crocker blockbyblock.org/get-involved for an application and more information. The last live audition takes place Saturday, February 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum (2251 Florin Road, Suite 126). You’ll have five minutes to perform, and priority will be given to artists with a connection one of the three aforementioned districts. Bands with four or more instruments should be prepared to bring their music on a flash drive, iPod or other mp3 player.

Sammies season: Did you see the nominees for this year’s Sacramento Area Music Awards? Exciting stuff. Don’t forget to visit www.sammies.com to vote for your favorite local artists in a bounty of categories now through March 7.

We’re doing things a little differently this year: more live music, more artists and more opportunities to get stoked about our local music scene. We can’t release details yet, but do note that we’ll have a series of showcases in the days leading up to the big awards show at Ace of Spades on Thursday, March 24. Block the week off because it’s going to be awesome.

We’re also excited to announce that we’re partnering with Capital Public Radio this year. That means even more local music on the airwaves, more local scene celebrating and more Sammies in general. Stay tuned.

—Janelle Bitker