Charity concert will celebrate the life of local Sacramento legend, Charles ‘Ground Chuck’ Thomas.
SACRAMENTO LEGEND CHARLES GROUND, CHUCK THOMAS. AND IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHO HE IS, CHARLES THOMAS WAS NOT ONLY A LONGTIME MEMBER OF SACRAMENTO’S MUSIC AND ART COMMUNITY, HE WAS ALSO THE INSPIRATION BEHIND SACRAMENTO’S ANNUAL CHALK IT UP FESTIVAL. THAT’S VIDEO OF HIM RIGHT THERE PLAYING. AND JOINING US TODAY IS PHOTOGRAPHER AND MUSICIAN MARK CULVERT TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE, BECAUSE HE HAS PASSED NOW AND HE WAS JUST MARK, TELL US HOW IMPORTANT HE WAS TO THE GREATER SACRAMENTO MUSIC AND ART SCENE. WELL, CHUCK WAS EASILY ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU WOULD SEE WALKING AROUND MIDTOWN AND DOWNTOWN FOR ALL THESE YEARS SINCE SINCE THE 80S AND WOW, DECADES. YEAH, HE EXUDED HIS PERSONALITY WAS JUST PUNK ROCK, AND HE WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL MUSICIAN AND COOL GUY AND JUST A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT CHALK IT UP EVERY YEAR AND SO MANY PEOPLE AND FAMILIES AND PEOPLE WHO AREN’T TRADITIONAL ARTISTS TAKE PART IN THIS AMAZING EVENT. ALL THIS ART COMES FROM IT. HE WAS REALLY THE SPARK BEHIND THAT, RIGHT? YEAH, I THINK HE’S HE SERVED AS A VERY INSTRUMENTAL PART OF HOW THAT BECAME TO BE. AND HE PARTICIPATED EVERY YEAR. IN FACT, JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE HIS HIS PASSING, HE WAS ALWAYS DEFIANT, ALWAYS APPEARING WHENEVER HE COULD AND FRUSTRATING HIS CARETAKERS, I’M SURE. SO HE WAS DEFIANT OF THE CARETAKERS. HE’S LIKE, I’M GOING TO GET THERE. TO CHALK IT UP. HE REFUSED TO STAY HOME. HE WANTED TO PARTICIPATE. SO JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE HE PASSED, HE PLAYED AN ENTIRE SET WITH HIS BAND, OUR BAND, THE SACTOWN STORYTELLERS, AND HE WAS THERE AND IN FULL EFFECT, AND IT WAS REALLY REMARKABLE TO SEE IT. NOW, LOOKING AT THESE VIDEOS, IT’S HARD. IT’S JUST HARD TO IMAGINE HOW THE TIMING OF THAT. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, HE WAS SO IMPACTFUL. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, THE SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL ACTUALLY HONORED HIM BECAUSE OF JUST HOW IMPACTFUL HE’S BEEN. SO NOW THAT HE HAS PASSED, YOU WANT TO GET TOGETHER. AND THIS IS REALLY A CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR HIM. YEAH. AND YOU NEEDED A VENUE SO BIG. IT’S HAPPENING AT HARLOW. SO TELL US ABOUT THE EVENT THAT’S HAPPENING AT HARLOW’S. WELL, IF YOU LIKE HIGH ENERGY MUSIC, THIS IS WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO BE TO CELEBRATE AND HONOR THE LIFE OF CHARLES BROWN, CHUCK THOMAS. AND WE HAVE A STACKED LINEUP. IT’S GOING TO BE SOMETHING YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO MISS. AND OF COURSE, TELL US ABOUT THE LINEUP. YEAH, WELL, WE HAVE HEADLINING, WE HAVE THE LOSING STREAKS, WHICH ARE ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE. AND SACRAMENTO’S ONE OF SACRAMENTO’S FAVORITE BANDS. WE HAVE THE SACTOWN STORYTELLERS THAT YOU’RE IN. YEAH. AND JEAN SMITH FROM CHI COLON HAS GOT HIS NEW BAND CALLED ECHO HILL, AND WE’VE GOT THE CONTRAPTIONS AND KILL THE PRECEDENT. AND MIKE BLANCHARD FROM THE TATTOOED LOVE DOGS, AND HE’S PLAYING WITH HIS TWO SONS, I THINK, AND THEY’RE CALLED THE MIKE BLANCHARD AND THE MILLENNIALS. THAT’S PRETTY AMAZING. AND YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THAT ONE. ARGUABLY THE FIRST THE FIRST 20 MINUTES IS IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE PARTS OF THE EVENING. SO IT COSTS $20 IF WE CAN BRING UP THAT GRAPHIC AGAIN. SO IT COST $20. IT’S NOT THIS WEEKEND. IT’S NEXT WEEKEND, RIGHT? YEAH. $20. IT’S ON THE 19TH AT HARLOW’S, 2708 JAY STREET. AND LIKE YOU MENTIONED, MULTIPLE LIVE PERFORMANCES WILL BE GOING ON A $20 COVER FEE. BUT ALL OF THOSE PROCEEDS ARE GOING TO THREE PLACES. CHALK IT UP AND SCHOLASTIC, TIC TOURETTE’S SUPPORTERS, AND THEN ALSO VERGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS. AND I KNOW ALL THREE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS DO GREAT THINGS IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT AREAS OF OUR SOCIETY. YEAH, CHUCK WAS VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT. HE SUFFERED FROM TOURETTE’S AND HE GOT ALONG WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS AND ARTISTS, AND HE WAS HE’S JUST AS VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT. SO WE’RE HAPPY TO BE TAKING THAT AND TO BE AND TO ALLOCATE IT TO THE APPROPRIATE PLACES. OKAY. AND WE’LL HAVE A SITE FOR THAT AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. MARK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AND AND REMEMBERING YOUR FRIEND AND SUCH, SOMEONE WHO WAS SO INFLUENTIAL TO OUR SOCIETY HERE IN SACRAMENTO WITH THE MUSIC AND ARTS. WE APPRECIATE IT. SO AGAIN, AL
Charity concert will celebrate the life of local Sacramento legend, Charles ‘Ground Chuck’ Thomas.
Updated: 4:53 PM PST Dec 12, 2025
Charles Thomas was not only a longtime member of Sacramento’s music and art community, but he was also the inspiration behind Sacramento’s annual Chalk it up! Festival. Photographer and fellow musician Marc Kallweit joined us on the KCRA 3 news at noon to talk about the celebrating of life and charity concert featuring several popular local bands.| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Sacramento mourns the loss of punk musician and chalk artist ‘Ground Chuck’The event is Friday, Dec. 1 at Harlow’s, located at 2708 J St, Sacramento. There is a $20 cover fee. All Proceeds Will Go To:Chalk It Up! ScholasTIC Tourette’s SupportersVerge Center for the ArtsSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Charles Thomas was not only a longtime member of Sacramento’s music and art community, but he was also the inspiration behind Sacramento’s annual Chalk it up! Festival.
Photographer and fellow musician Marc Kallweit joined us on the KCRA 3 news at noon to talk about the celebrating of life and charity concert featuring several popular local bands.
| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Sacramento mourns the loss of punk musician and chalk artist ‘Ground Chuck’
The event is Friday, Dec. 1 at Harlow’s, located at 2708 J St, Sacramento. There is a $20 cover fee.
All Proceeds Will Go To:
Chalk It Up! ScholasTIC Tourette’s SupportersVerge Center for the Arts
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel