What I Am Looking Forward to This Semester.

This semester I am most looking forward to the Phlagleblast. This year it is referred to as Phlagleblast-off and features an outer space theme due to the new building space in the University Union. I am really into science so for me, this theme is awesome.

If anyone is unfamiliar with Phlagleblast, it is an open house event in the University Union for students to find various locations in the building. This is meant to provide students with resources to use throughout the semester. It will be held Wednesday September 5th, between the hours of 8am-2pm. If you have time to come by and check it out on the way to or from class, please do so. It is an amazing experience in my opinion, especially this semester as there is more building space and there are useful resources for students to have in the building.

After students have had an adventurous walk throughout the building, collected stamps on a card provided when entering the building, and turned in those cards toward the end of the event, there are free t-shirts given to participants. There is also a chance to be a part of a raffle to win prizes.

In addition, there are usually recyclable bags for students to grab free goodies throughout the event which can come in handy throughout the semester; and they are good for the environment!

As mentioned, the entire building will be decorated with an outer space theme. There may be an appearance of our KSSU team at 8am to get good vibes up for a few hours. Why not come check it out and say hi to the crew?

I hope to see you all there. Happy Friday!

P.S. Congratulations on making it through the first week of school. Best wishes to all of you.

Good vibes this semester.

Go Hornets!

A Nooner with The Ghost Town Rebellion

Today, Wednesday, August 29th, kicked off the first Nooner at Sac State.  Those of us that were not sitting through run-throughs of syllabi, or the awkward, “I’m (blank) from (blank), and my major is (blank)” speech, got to stop by the book store and hear The Ghost Town Rebellion perform.

The native Sacramento band ran through a solid fifty-five minute set playing mostly originals with some covers of songs by the Foo Fighters and Elle King. The set kicked off strong, with high energy, loud guitars, thundering bass, and banging drums.

Steven Martin, The Ghost Town Rebellion’s drummer, was quite the spectacle, slapping the cymbals and skins and then throwing his sticks away on multiple occasions.  For being in direct sunlight at noon in one of Sacramento’s hottest months, he did not stop or slow down his performance at all. Shawn Peters is the band’s singer as well as a guitar, trumpet, and kazoo player. He owned his chunk of the stage the entire set, and even strutted off the stage and took a solo surrounded by the crowd.

Speaking of the crowd, there was an issue I thought should be brought up.  Here we have a national touring band, local chaps that also play around town with big names, and the only advertisement I saw for this shindig were two signs that were easily lost in the sea of campus clubs and fraternity posters that are all over the place.

There was probably fifteen people there; tops.  The Ghost Town Rebellion brought their A-game too.  They kicked out the jams, threw out hats and shirts, gave away CDs and posters, poured out their heart and soul, and there were fifteen of us there. Bands playing at on our campus is an awesome experience that we get to have.  If we want more of it, we need to step up the attendance.

Now, sometimes it’s just impossible to make it to these events.  Luckily, for those of you that missed The Ghost Town Rebellion, you can easily find them online on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.  They have a couple of EPs and an album out, and according to Shawn Peters, they have another album coming out in November.

There is also a video for their song “Silver & Gold” which can be found here. If you find yourself looking to find a new local band to check out, you can catch The Ghost Town Rebellion around town if they’re not out on tour. They also happen to have a couple shows coming up here in Sacramento: Saturday, September 1st at Chalk It Up! and Saturday, October 13th at Old Ironsides.

If you are into any type of rock, I suggest checking these guys out.  They killed (in a good way) “Everlong” by Foo Fighters, and turned Elle King’s pop rock hit, “Ex’s and Oh’s” into a high-octane rocker. Their original songs were well written, well orchestrated, and well executed.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing these guys again and in the future, let’s get up, get out, and support the acts that come and perform on campus!

FIRST HORNET FOOTBALL VICTORY IN FIRST HOME CONFERENCE GAME

In a game that the Hornets came into without a win, turned the ball over three times and were down by 17 points going into the fourth quarter; Sacramento State won its first game (1-4, 1-1 Big Sky) by a final score of 41-38 against the Montana State Bobcats this past Saturday at Hornet Field.

The Hornets kept the game close in the first half, having the lead 7-3 after the first quarter and only trailing by three heading into halftime. Montana State scored first in the game on a 38-yard field goal from the true freshman kicker Gabe Peppenger. The score would remain 3-0 in favor if the Bobcats until junior wide receiver Isiah Hennie caught an 11-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Nate Ketteringham with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.

 Montana State would go on to score twice to pull ahead 17-7 with 10:01 reaming in the second quarter until Ketteringham threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end John McGill to bring the Hornets within three with 6:34 left in the first half. Both teams would score one more touchdown before heading into halftime and Bobcats had a three point lead at 24-21.

The Bobcats seemed to put the game away in the third quarter in which they forced Ketteringham to throw two interceptions, not allowing the Hornets to convert on a third down and Montana State scored two touchdowns while Sacramento State didn’t have a touchdown or a field goal. The score was 38-21 at the end of the third quarter and with a majority of fans leaving during and after the third quarter, the game seemed all but over. However, the Hornets still had three timeouts remaining and they began the final quarter with possession as they recovered a fumble on the 4-yard line with five seconds to go in the third quarter.

On a quick drive that only took three-and-a-half minutes, senior running back Jordan Robinson was able to score for the Hornet’s on a one-yard rush to bring them within 10. The Bobcats and Hornets would then exchange possessions, both having to punt on fourth down. Montana State had the ball once again with 8:35 remaining in the game, but after senior running back Chad Newell rushed for a first down, the Bobcats had to punt for the second possession in a row with a little under seven minutes remaining. The Hornets took advantage of keeping the Bobcats within 10 points and Ketteringham finished a two-and-a-half minute drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore Jaelin Ratliff.

Montana State would receive the ball with 4:28 left in the second half but after two first downs, the Bobcats were penalized twice for a false start and holding, which brought them to their own 24-yard line with a second down and 24 to go. The Grizzlies had to punt with 1:35 remaining and the Hornets once again took advantage of holding the Grizzlies to no points allowed.

The Hornets began their drive on their own 32-yard line and within one minute and fifteen seconds; Ketteringham threw another touchdown pass to Ratliff, this time for 15 yards, to give the Hornets a 41-38 lead with 15 seconds remaining in the game. Montana State attempted a quick drive down the field, but they were unsuccessful and the Sacramento State Hornet’s football team earned their first win of the season and defeated the Montana State Bobcats for the first time since 2005. 

Ketteringham completed 34-of-54 pass attempts for 356 yards and threw for four touchdowns. Jordan Robinson had eight rush attempts for 60 yards and two rushing downtowns. Jaelin Ratliff led all receivers with seven receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns, both were the final two touchdowns of the game.           

Sacramento State will play again at home to face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (3-2, 2-0 Big Sky) this Saturday at 6 p.m. This will also be the homecoming game for the Hornets.

           

ASI? What’s that?

Did you know that each month ASI hosts a legal aid to give free one-on-one information to students? Did you know that their is a collection of students that work year round to advocate for student rights and access to a quality education? Did you also know, ASI runs the on-campus Food Pantry for students in need?

The truth is, you might have known these things, but you might not have. There are many things that ASI offers students on campus that you may not have known even existed, but have the opportunity to utilize every day. Associated Students Incorportated, or ASI for short, is a 501c3 non-profit corporation. “501c3” is a fancy financial classification that puts the organization into a non-profit category according to its size. ASI is run for students and by students. Each student at Sacramento State pays $66 into ASI every semester in order to run the various programs and services that it hosts such as the ASI Aquatic Center, Safe Rides, Peak Adventures, KSSU radio, the on-campus Food Pantry, ASI Children’s Center, and many more. Not only do they run programs and services that any and all students can utilize, but ASI also hosts events to bring the campus community together. Last month, ASI hosted its annual Block Party where students could interact with on-campus resources, play games, win prizes, eat food, and enjoy great music. All students are invited and encouraged to take advantage of events and resources ASI provides to add to their quality of life during their college career.

Not only are these ASI programs and services your resources, but there are ASI reps that are resources as well. At the heart of this organization is student representation on the ASI Board of Directors. The board is comprised of students and on-campus representatives and advisors that make decisions in order to help drive the campus community forward and be a voice for students. The structure of the board is fairly standard. There are 8 students elected by their peers to represent a particular college/population on campus (ex. College of Arts & Letters, College of Business Admin, Graduate Studies etc.). These individuals work closely with the Dean of their college, the clubs/organizations affiliated with the college, and their students in order to help make appropriate decisions on their behalf. Also on the board are 5 executive officers (President, Executive VP, VP of Finance, VP of University Affairs, VP of Academic Affairs). These executives work with the college directors on the board to move the organization and campus forward as a collective force.

At any point in your career here at Sac State, if you need help scheduling classes, you want to start a club, you need a help from a student that understands your needs, or you simply want to get involved, reach out to a board member! These students are here for you. Each week they host office hours in the union and around campus specifically to be there for you to access. They go to committee meetings, they go to club meetings, events, fundraisers, rallies, all to better serve students. Be sure to reach out to them, they are there for you.

In order for you to get a better idea of the wide breath of programs, services, and resources ASI provides to Sac State students, stay tuned each week to learn more about what ASI is really about and the people that work so hard to better the lives of students.

If you are interested in getting involved in ASI or have any questions, check out the ASI website at http://www.asi.csus.edu or contact me at asibusdirector@csus.edu for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

Gold!!! Course Registration Info

It’s mid-April, and the Spring 2016 semester is nearly over. This time of year is usually the time when students frantically endeavor to finish their final assignments and pack loads of information into their brains for their finals.

Subsequently, this is also the time of year when student course registration dates are assigned. Once dates and times have been assigned, and students typically tend to have mixed feelings about their allotted appointments.

However, registration dates have not been issued just yet. Registration for the Summer 2016 semester will start on Monday, April 11, 2016. Students just have to register, they will not receive a registration date.

All students will receive a notification in their emails as well as their student centers on April 15, 2016. This notification email will express the exact date and time the particular student will be able to register for the Fall 2016 semester.

Even though students will soon be notified of their registration dates for the Fall 2016 semester, registration won’t actually start until May 2, 2016.

With the exception of veterans,sports, and disabled students, registration dates are prioritized by graduating seniors, graduate students, then finally, by the amount of units.

Registration dates are not assigned by the amount of semesters a student has attended, but by class level. Class level is calculated by the amount of units a students has.

Seniors (90 and above), juniors (60-89 units), sophomores (30-59 units) and then freshman (0-29 units), is the order of priority.

Unfortunately, it is common for students to not be pleased with their issued registration dates. They may feel that it was scheduled too late and that they would not be able to get the courses they need.

It may seem as if some students bask in the splendor of priority registration struggle; scrapping for classes along with the majority of their peers.

Despite the seemingly majority of disgruntled students, some will  actually be pleasantly content with their registration dates.

It is good to understand that a lot of majors are impacted…meaning there are a plethora of students, within a particular major and not enough faculty members to cover them all (many factors come into play). Also, there are ways to receive a better registration date. For example, just pass your classes. When students don’t pass their classes, they have to retake them and that sets them back in the graduation process.

All students who apply to graduate in a timely manner receive priority registration. However, students can only apply to graduate when they’ve earned 85 or more units.

For more info on registration or the Registrars office, visit www.csus.edu/registrar. Or, call the registration helpline at (916) 278-8880. Students are also welcomed to visit the Registrar’s office in Lassen Hall on the second floor, room 2000.

I want to wish everyone good luck with the duration of the semester in their classes. You’re almost there!! Also, take a break from all of the stress from the semester and listen to the Leggero Hour with your’s truly, DJ LaRew; Tuesday afternoons from 3pm to 4pm. On KSSU. See you then!

KSSU Celebrates 25 years of Student Run Radio

Sacramento, CA: KSSU, Sacramento State’s student run radio, turns 25 years old this semester. Although the actual anniversary is on May 14th, the official celebration is slated for April 15th in the University Union from 10:00am to 8:00pm.

KSSU is an online radio station that broadcasts live 24/7 on KSSU.com. It is run entirely by Sac State students. Being the only student radio station of Sacramento State, KSSU provides the opportunity for Sac State students to learn about broadcast media with no prior experience necessary. KSSU is a non-commercial and free format radio station, which allows students the ability to express themselves with each show. This brings a diverse selection of programming to the station, which reflects the diverse interests of the Sac State student body. KSSU is a Student Engagement and Outreach (SEO) program of Associated Students, Inc., (ASI) at Sacramento State. For more information on KSSU and its history, go to kssu.com/about.

The celebration of being a radio station on campus for 25 years will happen throughout the day on April 15th in the University Union. KSSU alumni will be taking over the airwaves in honor of the anniversary. Various alumni from the past 25 years will program radio shows throughout the day for all to listen on KSSU.com. Some highlights of the day include: a student-produced video presentation on KSSU’s history, and a panel discussion with the founders Jim Bolt and Chris Prosio. At their panel discussion, the founders of the station will discuss their journey to start what is now known as KSSU. Following the panel discussion will be a Q&A. At the conclusion of the day, there will be a reception for attendees. Music will be provided by KSSU Alumnus, DJ Mappquest. The reception also features a photo booth. Food will be provided by Epicure Catering. A photo slideshow highlighting the achievements of KSSU alumni will be on display. The specific schedule for the day is as follows:

• In-studio sessions with KSSU Alumni: 10:00am – 3:00pm, 5:00pm – 8:00pm, live on KSSU.com.
• Panel discussion and presentation with KSSU Founders: Jim Bolt and Chris Prosio: 3:30pm – 5:00pm, Delta Room in the University Union
• Reception: 6:15pm – 7:45pm, University Union Ballroom 1.

More on KSSU: To stay updated with the anniversary and KSSU, follow us on social media. Follow @KSSUsparky on Instagram and Twitter or like KSSU, Sac State Student Run Radio on Facebook. Go to KSSU.com for more information and to listen to KSSU live.  

 

Vote Our Own Adventure

This is a Vote Our Own Adventure story. Read the story, then go to DJTraySquat on Facebook or e-mail me at djtraysquat@hotmail.com and let me know what our character should do next.

Terror struck. In a tiny room, a tiny walk-in closet sized room, Ben stood stunned. He is boxed into a bright white shoebox. Not knowing how he got here, Ben reached out his hand to touch the wall. Hoping to knock, find a weak spot in the wall, he 6 instead stirred up a cloud of swirling colors. It was like watching paint swirl, but creepier. This wispy smoke swirled around the spot he had put his hand. On instinct he reached up, tried to keep it contained. But, as he put up his hands, the colorful dust settled. And, there, was a window in front of him. Outside the window was just bright white. Ben turned to the side, and put out his hands. The side of the room expanded to a hallway. “Weird,” he marveled as he wondered what was done to him, that he is seeing this strangeness. A pure white hallway lay before him. He slowly braved the hall, step by step. Putting his hands out, to the side and in front of him to see what would happen. Yellows, blues, purples all followed him, wisping around him like food coloring diving into a glass of water. He paused to look back. Behind him was completed hall. It was dimly lit, and fully furnished now. Earth tones now decorated the space. Comfortable chairs, that begged to be rested on. A full suit of armor stood in the corner. Baffled, Ben slowly turned toward the direction he was walking. He stopped dead in his tracks. “What the-“ he exclaimed, because standing directly in front of him on the wall of the hallway in between where he’d been and where he was going, was half a fire place. And, it was burning. To one side of the hallway, bright white nothing, to the other, a room as lived in as anyone’s. Ben marveled at the dancing flames, that came to an abrupt, straight-edged, stop. It was as if something bright white was directly in front of the flames. Ben couldn’t stop staring. He ruined the effect, accidentally, as he raised his hand while amazed at what lay before his eyes. Suddenly the swirling colored mist filled in the other half. He turned toward the rest of the hallway, spinning and twirling, dancing along with the mist as the empty room had life breathed into it. BOOM. He hit the wall, or door rather. Because suddenly there was a door in front of him. Suddenly terror struck again, should he open it? Should Ben turn around, to the left, or right? Should he try and find a way up or down?

I’m DJ Tray Squat

If you liked this, listen to my show, Poli-Psycho, every wednesday night at 7pm on kssu.com. If you would like to vote for what our character should do next, or you would like to show off your own writing, musical talents, or anything that can be heard through the airwaves, contact me for a chance to be on my new segment: The Hornet Showcase. I’m DJTraySquat on Facebook, or you can e-mail me at djtraysquat@hotmail.com

Cookbooks Are Checklists

Cookbooks are relevant. Trust me.

You look at a cookbook, you browse through the pages and see tons of tempting dishes that appeal to you. You dog ear the pages that interest you with full intentions to go back and make that dish. But you don’t. Each page you dog ear is a promise you make to yourself that you almost always break. It’s a conscious thing, too. You are fully aware that you more than likely will not make the sweet potato casserole with lemon zest dumplings. It’s just not going to happen. We think to ourselves, “This looks great! I’ll have these people over and make these things. It’ll be fantastic.” But do you? More than likely not. Do we truly WANT to carryout these plans, but life gets in the way OR do we know deep, deep down that the plan will never be reality the second we make it..yet we make it anyway.

Same goes for any plans really. We make them to break them. It’s our habit, it’s our hobby, but it’s truthfully become our lifestyle.

There’s a notion that there is so much time, time to spare even. If you really stop to think about it, time seems like an old friend. You’ve experienced a lot because of it, you’ve watched your family bloom with time, maybe time has healed you in some way or another. The point is, time is always there, but you won’t be. Putting off goals and plans and dreams is just another way of cheating yourself out of a quality life. Maybe it’s the little promises that we break that equal a quality life as well as time spent wisely. Perhaps we’re breaking the very thing that’s holding us together.

Each time we let one item slip through the cracks, we do not hesitate to find something new to fill it’s gap in our schedules. We are moving on to “big”, WAY BIGGER things. Constantly chasing our tails because, well, we can…and nobody told us not to. Every second of spare time we have gets violated and reformatted to take on a new responsibility and get sucked in to the vortex of obligation. We forget about what we’re sacrificing when we make those split second commitments. We lose sight of our little commitments and brush of our initial plans. Do we truly want to carryout these plans but life gets in the way OR do we know deep, deep down that the plan will never be reality?..yet we still make plans.

Perhaps mentally making these plans, or as I like to put it “little promises,” is a way for us to satisfy our desire to enjoy ourselves without actually doing so. We entertain a notion of a false fulfillment that holds us over only momentarily until our brain passes it off along with the other whims that flash through. We think we’re being strategic with creating events/goals/dreams, but maybe we’re creating a void instead because “We’ll get back to it”. It’s like pre-heating the oven without ever putting the chicken in. You won’t be able to enjoy what you don’t put energy in to. We are enabling ourselves to be less accountable…plus you’re wasting a perfectly good chicken. Regardless of it being a meringue pie recipe or telling yourself you’ll go to the gym more, we make checklists that fall short EVERY TIME.

It’s the little things that matter, and often times, it’s the little things that get shrugged off. People weren’t kidding when they said the devil is in the details because it most certainly is. Deviled eggs without paprika are just boiled eggs that have been re-purposed. The little hint of paprika that is called for in the recipe (plan) makes all the difference. Those little plans, little details, little whatevers are what we need most. They might be small, but we can’t lose sight of them.

If we keep looking ahead at the bigger picture we’ll miss what’s right in front of us. Don’t allow yourself to be left with check-less checklists of what you hoped to accomplish in your lifetime. Make your life count. Give those little things a bigger time slot, and add a little spice.

Mia Kagianas a DJ at KSSU

Why Theatre?

Being a first year student, I already knew what major do I want to go in, but I wasn’t too sure what I really wanted to do in the field. What I had decided to get into is Theatre. How did I come about that choice? Well, let me just bring everything back before I even gotten into college.

At first, I didn’t have any ideas what to do in the theatre. All I ever knew was just working behind the scenes, being a part of the crew and production. I was interested in being a part of the theatre because I treated this major like student government, which was what I experienced my entire time in high school. Being in student government, I am used to working in teams to get a task done. That was how the system always worked. We would set up and outline ideas for a show like school events and rallies. We would run rehearsals for the events. Everything’s all practiced and planned, so when the day came, we put the show out. Even if we messed up, we continued to get the show running. That’s my favorite part of being in student government. Help the needs and then run the show by observing everything and everyone. For what I want was to find a major that I can do something similar to that. Theatre was a way for me to continue that group work to put up a show.

Coming into Freshmen Orientation, I had that mindset on. I then finalized that I was able to go into becoming a stage manager for the show. I was always leading the students in student government like a stage manager would do and I was always just watching in action. That was my motivation for the first time. Stage Manager sounded really great and exciting. You get the chance to run everything yourself this time. In September, there was even an offer for stage manager position from department chair of Theatre for the upcoming play that she was directing. I really wanted to do it, but I thought hard about my consequences of if I took on this path. Yes, it would be fun to experience of being the stage manager, but would I be able to handle the stress? I was taking two lecture class and a seminar class. That I knew right away, I wouldn’t stand a chance. It’s not because I had low expectations of my abilities, but I didn’t want to build stress in me. It was my first year and I didn’t want to push myself to the limits of being a stage manager. I passed up the offer. Did I regret it? No, I am thankful with my decision. There’s a long way for me to go and if I really wanted to do this, I probably will or will not.

At the time, I had no idea what to do now with theatre. I was unsure, and it is fine to be unsure about your major, especially when you’re just a first year. I just decided that stage managing is not the right time now, so I just thought to stick with my original idea of being a part of the crew. It wasn’t until I began taking Theater History 2 this semester with Dr. Pomo when I discovered my admiration with costumes. In this course, I had definitely fallen in love with Sanskrit Drama, Yuan Drama, and the Japanese Drama (Noh, Bunraku, and Kabuki). Their costumes were amazing. The Sanskrit Drama were full of arts because of how the actors and actresses move around gracefully with their colorful costumes. I find that so catchy because the color represents their character. This goes the same with the Yuan and Japanese Drama. The colors are symbolic to a specific character trait like green stands for demon and black stands for courageous. The Asian Theatre is just too beautiful to pass up. With the love of the colors and designs, I decided to take costumes as my concentration in my major.

When people questioned me, “You’re a Theatre Major? Do you like to act?” When I answer no and explained that I am interested in the production. The next question would be, “Do you want to be a director?” No, no, not anymore. I am into stage managing and all of those good stuffs, but I am not focused in that. I tell them specifically about the interested of costuming and styling. For this concentration, there are skills I have to know. I have to learn how to sew. I’ve done sewing a few times because I try to tailor my long pants, but it never turned out to look professional. Instead, it looked really lame. I also need to understand specific of fabrics and tools, all the needs I need to understand. Speaking of which, I am thinking about becoming a Fashion minor. That way, I can further build onto my costume knowledge. That is the plan.

I am able to connect Theatre and Student Government together. It’s all of natural thing to do when I get into a group together and work things out. I get to associate with more people and can get closer. I am so proud of saying that I am a Theatre Major because I love how the entertainment can present stories and folktales into a production play that is artistic. Theatre is a form of art that expresses emotions through dialogues, music, dance, and simply just a playwright. I don’t care if Theatre does not make high incomes like other majors do. This field is all about understanding and appreciating the art.

Looking at me, of course, you wouldn’t expect my interest of being a Theatre Major and being a Fashion Minor. I mean, just look at my style. I do not match to be those types, but don’t judge anyone on the outside right? It’s just something I’ve been thinking and reflecting on myself. This is what I am looking forward to do. Even if I had no idea at the beginning as a new Theatre Major of what I was going to do, I know that I have made a choice that’s my own.Thanks to Theatre History 2 Lecture class, I was able to plot these out. I’m satisfied with my decision.

DJ Alexx is a dj at KSSU

Beautiful Noise, Exquisite Tastes, and Creative Minds: The Complete TBD Fest 2015 Experience

This past weekend TBD Fest has left a mark of music, art, design, food, and ideas in the city of Sacramento. The festival drew in thousands of diverse people, locals and visitors alike, to experience the unique Sacramento festival that is TBD.

To start off, this weekend was incredible. Everything from the acts to the food was something to look back on. The lineup fit the flow of the weekend; starting Friday off with bang, reaching a pinnacle of epicness on Saturday, and concluding with a sure sense of satisfaction on Sunday       (sorry for the tongue twister).

 

Festival Grounds

A vital part of any festival is to get a feel of where you will be for the next few days. The first thing to do is find a schedule and a map. They weren’t readily available, but the customer service tent had no problem handing out printed schedules (nothing too fancy, just a print out). Since there was no map, the only option was to explore the grounds.

Having fun with the displays!

The grounds weren’t too vast and the layout was simple: a main stage on opposing sides with smaller stages near them. In between there was the “Rise + Create” space. A vendor village, complete with local vendors selling food, drinks, art, and clothing. All the food and drink being carefully crafted, the clothes being hand-made or hand-pressed, and beautiful pieces of art being created. This section of the festival truly shows the creative and tasteful minds of Sacramento. Near and around the “Rise + Create” space there were some awesome displays. Changing pillars of light, painted pyramids, murals, and the great display by PORTAL SAC. the perimeters of the grounds had the bars and food trucks. The festival even had it’s own giant ferris wheel (which all the proceeds from went to helping those recently affected by the California wildfires). There was a lot to see and do at TBD Fest besides watch the musical acts.

 

Demolicious Derby

If none of the musical acts were catching your attention or it was just too hot for you to be standing outside, then the “Demolicious Derby” was the place to go! It took place under a shaded tent with a nice patch of grass (I’m assuming so none of the dirt or dust flies into your food). It’s a cook off between two Sacramento chefs of the fine dining scene. They both have to use a certain ingredient. They also have to cook and serve out of a food truck. The food was completely free and completely delicious.

While waiting for the food, festival goers could watch the cooking from a live video feed screened on a large screen outside. The visuals and smells would make the audience even more hungry. Some moves such as adding the spice would make the audience “ooo” and “ahh.” A comedic MC would be hosting the event so it’s not just two dudes cooking food. Attendees would have to partake in both dishes and place their used forks in their respective choices. Both competitors were always good and humble chefs.

A little example of a cook off: both chefs had to use lamb. One made street tacos, but instead of a tortilla, he a used flattened and fried pork bun. The other made a greek style lamb poutine. Drooling yet? We were.

 

The Music

As mentioned  earlier, each day had a lineup that made a great flow for the weekend. Little disclaimer: I’m not really a big fan of EDM, so I didn’t catch much of the DJ sets.  

Toro Y Moi

Friday was explosive. The first artist was the band, Cathedrals. With their chill, new wave sound, and heavy bass, Cathedrals gave the crowd something great to vibe to. Then I was able to catch Towkio, Chicago based rapper associated with Save Money and Vic Mensa. Even though the crowd didn’t know the words, Towkio and his DJ were able to pump up the crowd. Head back to the main stage and you would be able to catch the dreamy set of Toro Y Moi. This was one of the artists I was looking forward to watching the most, and they did not disappoint. Playing a good blend of the newest album, What

Tyler, The Creator

for?, and their older stuff, the set was great. Ty Dolla $ign got the entire crowd dancing or jumping to his songs. The best part of his set was when he pulled out a bass and started groovin out (I didn’t know he could even play instruments). He was even able to stage dive into the crowd during the end of his set. The only EDM set I caught on Friday was some of was RL Grime’s. Playing a heavy trap set for the festival, he had everyone moving. The craziest crowd goes to the set of Sacramento native, Death Grips. The experimental industrial noise rap group made the biggest mosh pit of the weekend, bringing the first big dust cloud into the air. Being in the mosh, I breathed in a little too much dirt. The night ended with Tyler the Creator bringing  energy to the stage. Although he couldn’t bring the visuals he wanted, the set was still crazy. The crowd moshed, jumped, and sang along to the words. It wouldn’t be a Tyler the Creator set without his comedic side comments. The day really set the mood for the rest of the weekend.

Chance the Rapper

Saturday was big. With the longest day of TBD Fest, there was a lot to do. Although the day was spent mostly walking around the grounds, eating, and hanging out, all the musical acts were great. Dark pop duo, ASTR, started the day off for me. They gave an electrifying performance with some heavy bass hits, melodic scales and licks, and some crazy dance moves. I even had the pleasure of interviewing them backstage (interview coming soon, really cool people). Joywave, an electronic indie band, drew one of the larger crowds for the small stages. Before playing, they took time to perfect their sound and it was worth it. The crowd was very responsive with each song and it was awesome to be apart of. Ratatat was one of my favorites for the weekend. The electric guitar duo had holograms and lasers, putting on one of the best visuals for the weekend. Porter Robinson had some nice visuals as well. Although I couldn’t really vibe to the music, he still put on a good show equipped with anime graphics and massive confetti shots. The crowd loved it. I was able to catch the tail end of Magic Man’s set on the opposing small stage. Although there weren’t that many people watching the set, they still gave it their all and ended with their hit, Paris. Chance the Rapper was the main act I was looking forward to for the whole weekend. The set was amazing. He came with his full band, Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment, which made for a much fuller sound. The visuals weren’t top notch, but it didn’t matter because the music and energy put out from the performance was, to me, the best for this weekend. Sing alongs, jumping around, crowd participation, amazing trumpet solos, it had it all. Even though he admit to go out of order of their intended set due to excitement (Chance would become a father two days later) they still made it the best. Saturday had something big for fans of all different music genres.

Tears For Fears

Sunday was a great way for the weekend to wind down. Up and coming rap/r&b artist (who recently made a song with Kanye West) Post Malone put on a good five song set to start off our day. Although he has blown up due to the success of his hit song, White Iverson, Post Malone still kept it humble, and kept it entertaining. He even performed White Iverson again for his closer, having the crowd sing the entire last verse to closer. After, we were walking and on the nearby small stage, this band O began to play. They were able to keep us and the others for their whole set. They’re an indie band from San Francisco, do check them out. I was sad to have missed Dr. Dog and A Place to Bury Strangers due to attending a Demolicious Derby, but I heard the sets were amazing. Right when we got to A Place to Bury Strangers, the lead singer had just smashed his guitar to end his set. Sad to have missed that, but it was on to the 90’s alt rock band, Dinosaur Jr.! Although they are getting old, they can still play flawlessly. With great

Madeon

tunes and heart reaching solos, Dinosaur Jr. had a high-caliber set. After, Black Lips took the smaller stage. This goofy garage rock outfit from Georgia had a really fun set. After some jokes and moshing ensued, it was time for the OG (an older act, usually more famous in the 80’s)  headliner (every festival has to have one amiright?), Tears for Fears! Watching their set was like jumping back into the past, a time where most of the people attending TBD were either not alive or too young to go to a concert. Of course, the crowd sang along to classic hits such as Everybody Wants to Rule the World and their closer, Shout. They even surprised the audience with a slower yet full version of Creep by Radiohead. Madeon electrified the crowd as the last EDM performance of the weekend. I had to jump around a few times for that performance. I wasn’t able to stay, but I heard and read that crowd favorite Chromeo properly wrapped up TBD Fest with their funky tunes.

 

Closing Remarks

Overall, TBD Fest is a must-go for anyone in Sacramento, the surrounding Northern California area, or anyone in the world that wants to have a good time. Although not as big as famous festivals such as Cochella, TBD Fest is able to provide some of the top acts in music today in a comfortable yet enthralling environment. Everyone from the acts to the volunteers to the workers to the security to everyone else helped make this weekend what it was. It wasn’t just  about the music, but about the local artistic minds and tastemakers coming together to bring entertainment to Sacramento. It’s exactly what this city needs, a positive driving force in today’s creative culture.

 

 

Check out our mini Instagram Vlogs of the Festival!

If you liked this article, be sure to tune into KSSU.com on Wednesdays from 6:00pm-7:00pm for the 30/30! 30 minutes of music followed by 30 minutes of talk with me, Jerel Labson! 

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