Did you know? Thursday night is Open Mic night at local hangout The Coffee Garden, located at 2904 Franklin Blvd. It’s usually from about 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM but get there a little early just in case. Past times have including a wide variety of talent, some better than others but always pretty entertaining. Go check it out and encourage the local talent. And sign up to play a few songs if you have some mad skills…
More free concerts in parks! Is this a great town or what?!! Gather round Fremont Park at 1515 Q Street on Thursdays for free music from some fine local bands and artists. Food will be available from Hot Italian also. Shows run from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM. The lineup:
Aug. 20 – Blvd Park – alternative folk
Aug. 27 – Kate Gaffney – country folk blues
Sept. 3 – Richard March – country
Sept. 10 – Ricky Berger – jazz folk
Sept. 17 – Syncro – funky soul
Sept. 24 – Walking Spanish – Americana blues rock
Local rockers The Ruin will be playing in nearby Roseville on September 26. The details:
When: 9:00 PM on 9/26
Where: Main Street Brewery – 101 Main St, Roseville, Roseville, California 95678
How much: $5.00
There will be two other bands to be announced later.
The California State Fair starts tomorrow and they are featuring a wide variety of musical acts. Something old, something new, something classic, something diverse, and well, whatever MC Hammer is 
Anyway, here’s the schedule:
David Cook – Aug 21 2009 7:30PM
Tonic – Aug 24 2009 7:30PM
Salvador – Aug 25 2009 7:30PM
Hullabaloo Music Festival – Aug 26 2009 7:30PM
The Fab Four – Aug 27 7:30 Free
Martha Munizzi – Aug 29 7:30 Free
Tarde De Rtimo Y Recuerdos – Aug 30 7:30 Free
Lou Gramm of Foreigner – Sep 2 2009 7:30PM
MC Hammer – Sep 3 2009 7:30PM
Three Dog Night – Sep 4 2009 7:30PM
Blake Shelton – Sep 5 2009 7:30PM
Tops In Blue (Air Force) – Sep 6/7 7:30 Free
You know David Cook from Americal Idol. And as Beatles tributes go, the Fab Four are about as close to the lads as you’ll get. There’s other music at the fair too, including local bluesman Mick Martin and more. Get all the info at http://www.bigfun.org.
Ok, ok, it’s about an hour away. But that’s pretty close and there are some local artists included so we’ll mention it here. From their press release:
The American River Music Festival is a celebration of music and moving water, taking place Sept. 18, 19 and 20 throughout the friendly river community of Coloma. The festival offers over 25 performances and workshops at our main stage, in three riverfront campgrounds, on our whitewater river trip, on our guided riverfront hike in Magnolia Ranch, and at local restaurants.
The music is mixture of Americana, Folk and Blues with performers coming from throughout North America including [former Sacramento singer-songwriter] Jackie Greene and Tim Bluhm (of The Mother Hips) who together are The Skinny Singers, Jimmy LaFave, Eliza Gilkyson and Nina Gerber, City Folk (with Keith Greeninger), Blame Sally, Handful of Luvin, Jonny Mojo with MindX, Fret Not Gospel, Twilight Hotel, Danny Schmidt and many more.
Sounds like a fun festival in a scenic place with a variety of music. More information is on their web site or by calling (530) 622-6044.