My first introduction to Chef Bryan Widener came on a cold New Year’s Eve not even an hour into 2012. After ringing in the new year in Southside Park, word spread that Doughbot, the new doughnut shop down the street, was serving fresh doughnuts into the morning. I ran the handful of blocks to their storefront to find Widener and his wife pumping out doughnuts as fast as possible. For the next three years, I became a regular customer of Doughbot. Saturday mornings were made for coffee and a quick stroll over to Doughbot for a S’mores or Blueberry Cornmeal doughnut. That was until the long hours ..read more

I Am Not Okay With This Rated TV-MA If Stephen King is your spirit animal, watch I Am Not Okay With This. Hear me out. I was recently reading (OK, re-reading) Stephen King’s book about writing. A large part of the book involves his journey to becoming, well, Stephen King—and it all starts with Carrie. You know the story; young girl is bullied, gains superpowers as she goes through puberty and then young girl proceeds to wreak absolute havoc. Sound familiar? I Am Not Okay With This stars a couple of familiar teenage faces, if you watched It: Sophia Lillis (Sydney “Syd” Novak) and Wyatt Oleff (S ..read more

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When it comes to the soundtracks of our lives, few things scream pop-punk as much as our teen years—or at least that’s how new local punk collaboration Lousy Advice sees it. Formed by Shelby Murray and Eric La Febre of Sad Girlz Club, and Jacob DeSersa of Lightweight, Lousy Advice released their self-titled debut EP last January and are already working on their second EP, to be released April 11. Their Bandcamp bills them as “The World’s Cutest Band,” and their bite-sized four-song EP, with a pink milkshake on its cover art, comes dressed to match. Lousy Advice clocks the vibe of their music ..read more

Humor is a great medicine for fear. I understand that better than anyone. My mother often marvels—which is to say, recoils—at my ability to find humor in just about any situation. I admit that this is my chief defense mechanism for situations that I can’t curl in a ball and hide from. So, I may understand the inclination to crack jokes about COVID-19 as a way to strip it of its power against us. I think that’s healthy. I’d like to add a caveat, though, which is that this is an ever-developing situation, and while it will probably (hopefully) not result in the End of Days, the cause for concern ..read more

Monday through Friday, Shane Quidachay, better known as Shane Q, gets up early in the morning, starts his day with a cup of coffee and drives a minivan for the Sacramento organization, United Cerebral Palsy, where he has worked for the last six years. This has been an average weekday for Quidachay, but in November 2018, he made a decision that changed his life for a whole year and landed him a spot on NBC’s The Voice. “When did you know you could sing, like really sing?” I ask Quidachay, as he sips on his coffee. “It was about the time when ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ came out. I used to enjoy singi ..read more

While you are busy playing on your phone, Sacramento’s own Cory Barringer finds the time to be in a band, perform stand-up comedy, produce numerous live variety shows, draw hilarious comic strips and produce perhaps the most thoughtful podcast about Digimon that has ever been created. A man of many talents, Barringer has been a part of the city’s alternative art scene for nearly a decade, even though he barely looks a day above 25. I first met Cory about four years ago doing really weird and really funny stand-up at Sacramento Comedy Spot’s open mic. Not afraid to take chances and to be silly ..read more

At this point in the 21st century, living a life void of technology is practically impossible. Though electronic advancements have evolved leaps and bounds for people in terms of convenience, daily interactions with devices has created stress, insecurities and anxiety among all us humans. Come Thursday, March 19 to the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley and witness B: The Underwater Bubble Show, where this way of life is explored. At the end of a lengthy workday over-flowed with busy meetings and tight deadlines, the story’s main protagonist Mr. B is somehow carried from his basic, bland, bor ..read more

Sausage. A summer barbecue staple or a morning breakfast. However you eat these meaty delights, hopefully they turn out totally tasty. Making these grilled links may seem simple, but making the best of the bratwurst is truly a culinary art form. For the curious and eager, come learn how to make your own bangers (hold the mash) on Sunday, April 5 at 4932 Shady Leaf Way in Sacramento. This workshop is hosted by Scratch Made Life, a spot created by Kim Mack in the hopes to share her enthusiasm for cooking from scratch with those also ready to expand their yummy knowledge in the kitchen. With vari ..read more

We like to think we know everything, but it’s not true. That’s certainly the case when it comes to presidents of the United States. There have been 45 presidents so far, but can you honestly say you know much about any one of them? I’m even willing to wager that what you think you know about our presidents is probably wrong. It’s not all your fault, though. Historians have worked hard to hide the truth from us all, but I’m ready to expose the truth about our presidents for once and for all. It’s a commonly held belief that, when confronted with an accusation of chopping down his father’s cherr ..read more