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Sacramento music history

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198 entries

The Torch Clubvenue

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The Torch Club

1934-present

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.

Researched by Jason Pierce·April 2026·31 sources cited

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By Scene

Sacramento by Sound

The Record grouped by the scenes that make the city — each a short history and the people and places inside it. Grouped by entry genre tags; buckets are a starting point.

Indie & Rock

51 entries

Midtown clubs, college radio, and the guitar bands that fill them — Sacramento's indie and rock backbone.

The people

Cake (band)Artist1991-present

Cake (band)

Cake is an American alternative-rock band formed in Sacramento in August 1991 by singer John McCrea, trumpet/keys player Vince DiFiore, guitarist Greg Brown, drummer Frank French, and bassist Shon Meckfessel (quickly replaced by Gabe Nelson

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
ARTISTSISTER CRAYONArtist2006–present

Sister Crayon

Sister Crayon is a Sacramento indie/electronic project led by vocalist and songwriter Terra Lopez, built around downtempo, atmospheric music that blends live drums, programmed beats, synths and dramatic female vocals. Submerge consistently identified the act as local — "our beloved Sister Crayon," "hometown heroes,"…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTLIFE IN 24 FRAMESArtist2008–present

Life in 24 Frames

Life in 24 Frames is a Sacramento indie rock band founded in 2008 by frontman Kris Adams, known for its experimental, atmospheric songcraft and a consistently rotating lineup anchored to Adams' songwriting. Submerge repeatedly identifies the group as "Sacramento's own," and the band describes itself as staying "true…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTZUHGArtist2007–present

ZuhG

ZuhG is a Sacramento jam band, active since 2007, known for a hard-to-categorize blend of funk, reggae, jazz, rock, blues, psychedelia and hip-hop, fronted throughout its existence by guitarist/vocalist Bryan Nichols. Beyond music, the band became a fixture of the local scene by operating the ZuhG Life Store, a…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTDOG PARTYArtist2007–present

Dog Party

Sacramento's punk sister duo — Gwendolyn and Lucy Giles — formed at ages 8 and 10, released their first album at 11 and 13, opened for Green Day, toured Europe, and launched their own label. Seven albums deep and still based in Sacramento.

Researched by Jason Pierce·May 2026
ARTISTLITTLE GUILT SHRINEArtist1991–1998

Little Guilt Shrine

Sacramento alt-rock trio active 1991–1998. Dana Gumbiner on bass and vocals, brothers Matt and Britton Holland on guitar and drums. Five albums, KWOD airplay, and enough of a reputation that fans drove in from out of town a decade later just to catch the reunion.

Researched by Jason Pierce·May 2026
ARTISTMIDDLE CLASS RUTArtist2006–present

Middle Class Rut

Middle Class Rut (often shortened to "MC Rut") is a Sacramento rock band built around the duo of Zack Lopez (guitar/vocals) and Sean Stockham (drums/vocals), known for a heavy, raw, beat-driven sound and the breakout single "New Low." Submerge repeatedly frames them as a hometown act and "Sacramento's Dynamic Duo."

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTTWO SHEDSArtist2006–present

Two Sheds

Two Sheds is a Sacramento indie/folk-rock act built around the husband-and-wife duo of singer/guitarist Caitlin Gutenberger and bassist/backing-vocalist Johnny (John) Gutenberger, active since 2006. Long described as Sacramento "darlings," they remained a fixture of the greater Sacramento music scene before relocating…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026

Punk & Hardcore

48 entries

All-ages basements, the warehouse circuit, and the bands that made Sacramento a West Coast punk stronghold.

The people

ARTISTKURT TRAVISArtist2000s–2010s

Kurt Travis

Kurt Travis is a Sacramento-based vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who became one of the most prolific figures in the city's post-hardcore scene, fronting (at various points) Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds, releasing solo records, and running his own indie label. Over roughly a decade he passed…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTDANCE GAVIN DANCEArtist2005–present

Dance Gavin Dance

Dance Gavin Dance (frequently abbreviated DGD) is a Sacramento post-hardcore band, formed in 2005, known for a genre-defying sound that blends post-hardcore, progressive rock and screamo with R&B and funk inflections, and for a turbulent lineup history. Submerge repeatedly identifies them as a hometown act, calling…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTA LOT LIKE BIRDSArtist2009–present

A Lot Like Birds

A Lot Like Birds is a Sacramento-based progressive/post-hardcore band founded by guitarist, composer and original vocalist Michael Franzino, repeatedly identified in Submerge coverage as a Sacramento band and described in 2013 as "locally based." Known for technically dense, genre-crossing compositions and a frenetic…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTGANGLIANSArtist2007–2011

Ganglians

Ganglians were a Sacramento psychedelic/lo-fi garage-pop band, repeatedly described in Submerge as one of the city's "beloved" hometown acts and a hallmark of the late-2000s Sacramento garage scene. The group is consistently identified as local — "Sacramento's psychedelic acid pop act" and "Sacramento's own" — making…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTDOG PARTYArtist2007–present

Dog Party

Sacramento's punk sister duo — Gwendolyn and Lucy Giles — formed at ages 8 and 10, released their first album at 11 and 13, opened for Green Day, toured Europe, and launched their own label. Seven albums deep and still based in Sacramento.

Researched by Jason Pierce·May 2026
ARTISTKEVIN SECONDSArtist2000s–2010s

Kevin Seconds

Kevin Seconds is a Sacramento-based singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the seminal California hardcore punk band 7 Seconds, who in his later career became a prolific solo acoustic artist, a coffeehouse operator, and a connective figure across the Sacramento music community.

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTTHE SECRETIONSArtist1991–present

The Secretions

The Secretions are a long-running Sacramento punk rock band, formed in 1991 by Mickie Rat and Danny Secretion, widely described in Submerge coverage as "Sacramento punk legends" and a foundational, mentoring presence in the local scene. The band was active from 1991 to 2016.

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTGROOVIE GHOULIESArtist1983–2007

Groovie Ghoulies

Sacramento pop-punk institution. Kepi Ghoulie (Jeff Alexander) fronted the band for their entire 24-year run — nine studio albums, Lookout! Records, international touring, and a horror-movie aesthetic that made them one of the most distinctive bands the 916 ever produced.

Researched by Jason Pierce·May 2026

Roots & Folk

29 entries

Songwriters, string bands, and Americana — the acoustic, roots-leaning corner of the city's music.

The people

ARTISTMUSICAL CHARISArtist2008–present

Musical Charis

Musical Charis is a Sacramento indie-pop/folk group built around the vocal duo of Blake Abbey and Jessie Brune (later Jessie Abbey), known for harmony-rich songwriting, an open collaborative live format, and for founding a community music school in Oak Park. The group is best understood not as a conventional band but…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTZUHGArtist2007–present

ZuhG

ZuhG is a Sacramento jam band, active since 2007, known for a hard-to-categorize blend of funk, reggae, jazz, rock, blues, psychedelia and hip-hop, fronted throughout its existence by guitarist/vocalist Bryan Nichols. Beyond music, the band became a fixture of the local scene by operating the ZuhG Life Store, a…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTARDEN PARK ROOTSArtist2010s–2020s

Arden Park Roots

Arden Park Roots (APR) are a Sacramento reggae/rock band, repeatedly described in Submerge as a "local" and "hometown" act, known for relentless DIY touring and a party-oriented live show that mixes originals with a Sublime tribute set.

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTCHELSEA WOLFEArtist2009–present

Chelsea Wolfe

Chelsea Wolfe is a singer-songwriter raised in Roseville and Sacramento whose darkly atmospheric music—variously tagged "goth folk," "doom folk" and "doom-metal"—made her one of the Sacramento scene's best-known exports before she relocated to Los Angeles and later back to Northern California. Submerge repeatedly…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTROSS HAMMONDArtist2000s–2010s

Ross Hammond

Ross Hammond is a Sacramento-based guitarist, bandleader, festival organizer and music educator, repeatedly described in the local press as a "local guitar player" and a "prolific Sacramento musician" central to the city's improvised-jazz and creative-music scene. Originally from Lexington, Kentucky and raised in the…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTKEVIN SECONDSArtist2000s–2010s

Kevin Seconds

Kevin Seconds is a Sacramento-based singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the seminal California hardcore punk band 7 Seconds, who in his later career became a prolific solo acoustic artist, a coffeehouse operator, and a connective figure across the Sacramento music community.

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTJAMES CAVERNArtist2005–present

James Cavern

James Cavern is a singer-songwriter who built his career in Sacramento, working in soul, neo-soul and soul-tinged pop, and is regarded as an established fixture of the local scene. Born James Nguyen in Manchester, England, to Vietnamese refugee parents who fled by boat and were eventually resettled in London, he later…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTAUTUMN SKYArtist2003–present

Autumn Sky

Autumn Sky is a Sacramento-area singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who emerged from the local coffee-shop and open-mic circuit in the mid-2000s and later fronted a full band under her own name. Her music is described as eclectic folk/pop centered lyrically on love in its many forms.

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026

Jazz, Soul & Funk

27 entries

From the Jazz Jubilee era to today's brass bands — the city's deep bench of horns, grooves, and vocalists.

The people

The PhilharmonikArtist2016-present

The Philharmonik

Sacramento multi-instrumentalist Christian Gates — the "one-man orchestra" — won NPR's 2024 Tiny Desk Contest from a field of nearly 7,000 entrants. Three studio albums, international touring, and a return-to-Sacramento story.

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
Element Brass BandArtist2011-present

Element Brass Band

Sacramento's premier New Orleans second-line brass band, founded in 2011 by trumpeter Ryan Robertson, now led by baritone saxophonist Byron Colborn. Two-time Sacramento Music Awards "Best in Jazz" winner; founders of the city's annual Mardi Gras parade.

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
ARTISTZUHGArtist2007–present

ZuhG

ZuhG is a Sacramento jam band, active since 2007, known for a hard-to-categorize blend of funk, reggae, jazz, rock, blues, psychedelia and hip-hop, fronted throughout its existence by guitarist/vocalist Bryan Nichols. Beyond music, the band became a fixture of the local scene by operating the ZuhG Life Store, a…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTJONNY CRAIGArtist2005–present

Jonny Craig

Jonny Craig is a vocalist associated with the Sacramento post-hardcore scene, known as an original co-vocalist of hometown band Dance Gavin Dance, later frontman of Emarosa, a solo artist, and founder of the Sacramento-based band Slaves. He is also a recurring figure in the scene's controversies, both for his…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTJAMES CAVERNArtist2005–present

James Cavern

James Cavern is a singer-songwriter who built his career in Sacramento, working in soul, neo-soul and soul-tinged pop, and is regarded as an established fixture of the local scene. Born James Nguyen in Manchester, England, to Vietnamese refugee parents who fled by boat and were eventually resettled in London, he later…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTIST!!! (CHK CHK CHK)Artist1996–present

!!! (Chk Chk Chk)

!!! is a dance-punk band that grew out of the mid-1990s Sacramento music scene, formed when members of local bands Black Licorice and Popesmashers joined forces after a mid-'90s tour. The band was founded in the fall of 1996 through the merger of members of the groups Black Liquorice and Pope Smashers while on tour.…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTAGENT RIBBONSArtist2006–2011

Agent Ribbons

Agent Ribbons was a Sacramento indie band built around vocalist/guitarist Natalie Gordon (later known as Natalie Ribbons) and drummer Lauren Hess, blending blues and "baroque" indie-pop with character-driven, story-style lyrics. Explicitly identified by Submerge as "Sacramento locals," the group emerged from the…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTMICK MARTINArtist1960s-2025

Mick Martin

Sacramento blues legend, harmonica player, and co-founder of the Sacramento Blues Society. Active from the 1960s through 2025 across 20+ albums. Performed at Carnegie Hall. Died July 13, 2025 at age 76.

Founder Jason Pierce·May 2026

Electronic & DJ

23 entries

Beatmakers, selectors, and the bass nights — the electronic and DJ culture threading through the scene.

The people

ARTISTSISTER CRAYONArtist2006–present

Sister Crayon

Sister Crayon is a Sacramento indie/electronic project led by vocalist and songwriter Terra Lopez, built around downtempo, atmospheric music that blends live drums, programmed beats, synths and dramatic female vocals. Submerge consistently identified the act as local — "our beloved Sister Crayon," "hometown heroes,"…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTYOUNG AUNDEEArtist1990–present

Young Aundee

Young Aundee is the stage name of Andrew James Southard, a Sacramento electronic, hip-hop and trip-hop musician, beat-maker, vocalist and DJ whose falsetto vocals, melodica playing and production work tie together a wide swath of the city's music scene. He is a long-running collaborator with electronic producer Dusty…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
INSTITUTIONDJ WHORESPerson1997–2017

DJ Whores

DJ Whores was the stage name of Daniel "Dan" Osterhoff, a Sacramento DJ, club-night organizer and bass-music selector described by Submerge as one of the city's most elite turntablists, best known for running the long-running Midtown dubstep-and-bass night Grimey. Submerge reported his death on April 8, 2017, noting…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTDLRNArtist2008–present

DLRN

DLRN is a Sacramento hip-hop group built around MC 5th Ave (born Sean LaMarr) and producer Jon Reyes, known for an eclectic sound that sits between conscious rap and club rap and for a strong, repeatedly stated dedication to the local Sacramento scene. The duo describe their output as "'80s synth-fueled,…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTDEATH GRIPSArtist2010–present

Death Grips

Death Grips is an experimental hip-hop / rap-punk group originating in Oak Park, Sacramento, built around vocalist Stefan Burnett (MC Ride), drummer Zach Hill, and producer Andy Morin (Flatlander). The band officially formed on December 21, 2010 in Sacramento, California. Submerge consistently frames the group as a…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
INSTITUTIONSHAUN SLAUGHTERPerson2010s

Shaun Slaughter

Shaun Slaughter is a Sacramento DJ, club-night promoter, producer, and flyer designer who became one of the most prominent figures in the city's indie-dance and electronic nightlife scene, best known as co-founder of the long-running dance night Lipstick. Over more than a decade he ran or co-ran a string of Sacramento…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTLEE BANNONArtist2010s

Lee Bannon

Lee Bannon is a producer and DJ from the Sacramento area who came up in the local hip-hop scene before relocating to New York and shifting toward experimental electronic music. He worked as an in-demand beatmaker and collaborator across the Sacramento rap community in the early 2010s, then released drum 'n' bass and…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTRALEIGH MONCRIEFArtist2000s–2010s

Raleigh Moncrief

Raleigh Moncrief is a Sacramento-based music producer and solo recording artist, known both as a "behind-the-boards" producer for local bands and for his own genre-blurring electronic/glitch-hop work. Submerge characterized him as a "renown Sacramento producer" who stepped out from behind the boards with his solo…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026

Hip-Hop

22 entries

MCs, producers, and crews — the rap lineage that runs from the Bay's shadow into a sound all Sacramento's own.

The people

The PhilharmonikArtist2016-present

The Philharmonik

Sacramento multi-instrumentalist Christian Gates — the "one-man orchestra" — won NPR's 2024 Tiny Desk Contest from a field of nearly 7,000 entrants. Three studio albums, international touring, and a return-to-Sacramento story.

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
Element Brass BandArtist2011-present

Element Brass Band

Sacramento's premier New Orleans second-line brass band, founded in 2011 by trumpeter Ryan Robertson, now led by baritone saxophonist Byron Colborn. Two-time Sacramento Music Awards "Best in Jazz" winner; founders of the city's annual Mardi Gras parade.

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
ARTISTZUHGArtist2007–present

ZuhG

ZuhG is a Sacramento jam band, active since 2007, known for a hard-to-categorize blend of funk, reggae, jazz, rock, blues, psychedelia and hip-hop, fronted throughout its existence by guitarist/vocalist Bryan Nichols. Beyond music, the band became a fixture of the local scene by operating the ZuhG Life Store, a…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTWHO CARESArtist2002–2016

Who Cares

Who Cares was a Sacramento hip-hop group founded in 2002, known for a backpack-rap sound that grew into a full live band and for being, in its own framing, the perpetual opening act of the local rap scene. Despite a name suggesting apathy, the group treated its music as a survival mechanism for "latchkey kids" and…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTYOUNG AUNDEEArtist1990–present

Young Aundee

Young Aundee is the stage name of Andrew James Southard, a Sacramento electronic, hip-hop and trip-hop musician, beat-maker, vocalist and DJ whose falsetto vocals, melodica playing and production work tie together a wide swath of the city's music scene. He is a long-running collaborator with electronic producer Dusty…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTDLRNArtist2008–present

DLRN

DLRN is a Sacramento hip-hop group built around MC 5th Ave (born Sean LaMarr) and producer Jon Reyes, known for an eclectic sound that sits between conscious rap and club rap and for a strong, repeatedly stated dedication to the local Sacramento scene. The duo describe their output as "'80s synth-fueled,…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTZACH HILLArtist2000s–2010s

Zach Hill

Zach Hill is a Sacramento-based drummer, composer, and producer known for an unrelenting, fluid percussive style and an enormous catalog of collaborations, anchoring the local bands Hella and Death Grips. Submerge repeatedly identifies him as a "Sacramento drummer" and "Sacramento-based drummer," placing his origin…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
ARTISTRANDOM ABILADEZEArtist1999–2021

Random Abiladeze

Random Abiladeze (born Randy Murray; later known as Rasar, then Rasar Amani) is a Sacramento-region hip-hop MC and award-winning spoken-word poet known for socially and politically conscious lyrics. A fixture of Sacramento's underground hip-hop and spoken-word circuits in the late 2000s and early 2010s, he relocated…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026

The Full Archive

Everything in The Record

Type
Era
14 entries
#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

A

Ace of Spades / Goldfield / Holy Diver Venue GroupInstitution2000s-2020s

Ace of Spades / Goldfield / Holy Diver Venue Group

Bret Bair and Eric Rushing have been the most prolific venue operators in Sacramento's modern live-music era, building a portfolio that at its peak included Ace of Spades, Goldfield Trading Post, Holy Diver, The Cabin, 8-Track, B-Side, and

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
INSTITUTIONARTERY FOUNDATIONInstitution2004–present

Artery Foundation

Artery Foundation is a Sacramento-based artist management company that also operated an affiliated record label, Artery Recordings, working primarily with heavy-music acts in metalcore, deathcore, post-hardcore and symphonic metal. Repeatedly described in Submerge coverage as "located in Sacramento" and…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
INSTITUTIONARTERY RECORDINGSInstitution2010–present

Artery Recordings

Artery Recordings is a Sacramento-based record label specializing in metal, deathcore, metalcore, post-hardcore and hardcore acts. It operates as the recording arm of Eric Rushing's broader Sacramento music-business empire, which also includes Artery Foundation Artist Management and several local venues. The label was…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026
INSTITUTIONASIAN MAN RECORDSInstitution2010s

Asian Man Records

Asian Man Records is a Bay Area independent record label that has served as a recurring home for Sacramento-area punk and pop-punk artists, including Kevin Seconds and the sister duo Dog Party. Founded and run by Mike Park, the label operates with a hyper-DIY ethos—Submerge described it as being run out of a…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026

B

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P

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S

Sacramento Brass Band CollectiveInstitutionpresent

Sacramento Brass Band Collective

An umbrella organizing body for Sacramento's second-line ecosystem, drawing musicians from Element Brass Band, City of Trees Brass Band, Dirty Chops Brass Band, Bigger Than Us Arts Brass Band, and the All-Female Brass Band to present community parades and performances rooted in New Orleans tradition.

Researched by Jason Pierce·May 2026
Sacramento Jazz CooperativeInstitution2016–present

Sacramento Jazz Cooperative

Sacramento's premier jazz nonprofit, founded in 2016 by Carolyne Swayze. Presents concerts, produces the "From the Living Room" YouTube series, and serves as the organizational backbone of the contemporary Sacramento jazz scene — doing the curatorial work a dedicated jazz club would normally do.

Researched by Jason Pierce·May 2026
Sacramento Music ArchiveInstitution1980s-2020s

Sacramento Music Archive

The Sacramento Music Archive (sacramentomusicarchive.com) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Shayne Stacy that preserves and freely shares primary-source audio, video, photographs, and ephemera documenting Sacramento-area…

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
Sacramento News & Review (SN&R)Institution1989-present

Sacramento News & Review (SN&R)

Sacramento News & Review (SN&R) was — and, in significantly reduced online form, still is — the defining alternative newsweekly of Sacramento from its founding in 1989 through the suspension of its print edition in January 2021.

Researched by Jason Pierce·Apr 2026
INSTITUTIONSARGENT HOUSEInstitution2006–present

Sargent House

Sargent House is an independent record label founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow. Named after the historic home where its offices reside — situated between Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles — the company was created because Pellow's then-managed band RX Bandits needed to release their album ...And the Battle Begun,…

Compiled by Sac Setlist Archive·Jun 2026

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