The Archive
Sac Setlist
Archive
Sacramento’s music history, sourced and cited. A field guide to the venues, artists, events, and institutions that shaped the scene.
Researched by Jason Pierce · Updated continuously
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Venue1980s-2000sThe Cattle Club
The Cattle Club was a 250-capacity all-ages music club at 7042 Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento that, from 1989 through roughly 1995, served as the region's single most important incubator for the 1990s alternative-rock boom.
Venue1912-presentCrest Theatre
The Crest Theatre is a restored art deco movie palace and live-performance venue at 1013 K Street in downtown Sacramento. Originally opened in 1912 as the Empress Theatre (a vaudeville house), it was completely rebuilt in 1949 as an art…
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Venue1980s-2020sSacramento's Lost Venues: Club Minimal, Melarkey's, and The Distillery
Sacramento's live-music infrastructure has always been volatile — venues open, thrive, and vanish, often within a few years. Three now-closed rooms illustrate different eras and audiences in the city's music history: Club Minimal (c.
Shady Lady Saloon
A classic-cocktail speakeasy on R Street that doubles as one of Sacramento's most consistent jazz rooms. Shady Lady books Element Brass Band, Harley White Jr., and a rotating cast of jazz, blues, and neo-soul acts in an intimate, low-volume setting that demands the music do the work.
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Venue1934-presentThe Torch Club
A 150-capacity blues bar at 904 15th Street, the Torch Club has been Sacramento's most continuous live-music venue since 1934. Founded by the Karavites family, owned by the Texeiras since 1969, it has occupied three downtown addresses across nine decades.
Twin Lotus Thai
A Thai restaurant on Folsom Boulevard that functions as Sacramento's most active jazz room, presenting a dense calendar of tributes, original projects, and student ensembles. The closest thing the city has to a dedicated jazz club.
Gap
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