{"id":250655,"date":"2026-04-03T22:19:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T22:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/250655\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T22:19:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T22:19:32","slug":"alt-rock-stars-sacramento-homecoming-photography-more-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/250655\/","title":{"rendered":"Alt-rock star’s Sacramento homecoming, photography, more events"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is the April 2 edition of Cultural Capital, an arts and entertainment newsletter written by Abridged contributor Chris Macias. Want it sent directly to your inbox?\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

April is here and Cultural Capital is hopping down the bunny trail with arts and entertainment picks. This week, I\u2019ve also gone down the rabbit hole of Sacramento\u2019s alternative-rock scene from the 1990s, with memories of gigs gone by at\u00a0The Cattle Club<\/a>,\u00a0The Press Club<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Old Ironsides<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the key figures from those times, Jonah Matranga, is back to his former Sacramento stomping grounds on Friday with a solo show (which just sold out last night) that celebrates a key date in his career. He spoke to me in an exclusive interview about his life in Sacramento in the 90s, what to expect at the show and his additional projects.<\/p>\n

Along with these\u00a0salad days of Sacramento music<\/a>, we\u2019ve also got a photography show for an inspired Friday night, classic theater, a new-school band from Sacramento that\u2019s blowing up and so much more.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tSign Up for the Cultural Capital<\/p>\n

In your inbox every Thursday, Abridged’s entertainment newsletter from Chris Macias highlights things to do in the Sacramento region.<\/p>\n

Celebrate a\u00a0pivotal Sacramento alt-rock album<\/p>\n

The details:<\/p>\n

The Side Door, 2900 4th Ave., Sacramento<\/p>\n

7 p.m., April 3 (Friday)<\/p>\n

$25.63 (sold out)<\/p>\n

Friday at The Side Door<\/a> marks a mighty homecoming show for Jonah Matranga<\/a>. Exactly 30 years ago, on April 4, 1996, his former band Far released its major label debut, \u201cTin Cans With Strings to You.\u201d The album arrived during a peak for Sacramento\u2019s alternative-rock scene, just as fellow 916 bands Deftones and Cake were hitting the mainstream. Spots like the Cattle Club and Old Ironsides raged as incubators for regional and national acts on the rise.<\/p>\n

Far never reached mass appeal like some of its Cattle Club contemporaries, but the band\u2019s influence resonated loudly throughout the emo and post-hardcore scenes. As a solo artist, Matranga\u2019s collaborated with Deftones<\/a> and Lupe Fiasco<\/a>, while maintaining a fervent following through his individual project Onelinedrawing and other endeavors.<\/p>\n

Once again, Friday\u2019s show is sold out, but Matranga promises to be back soon. Now he\u2019s ready to celebrate the birthday of \u201cTin Cans With Strings to You\u201d in the city where it was born.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what he had to say during an exclusive interview with Abridged, in a call from his Eugene, Ore. home. Click the link below for the full interview.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

Chris Macias: Welcome back to Sac!The mid-1990s were such a heady time for local music. How do you look back on those Cattle Club days?<\/p>\n

Jonah Matranga: I feel very lucky to have been in Sacto in the mid-90s. It wasn\u2019t perfect for everyone, but it was perfect for me. My rent was $140 a month. And there was a crazy all-ages place, perfectly placed between Downtown and the suburbs, where everyone was allowed to be who they wanted to be.<\/p>\n

Marie\u2019s Donuts is in my head forever. We\u2019d come back from Cattle Club at 3 a.m. and just head there. Those are the golden years. When I look back, I just feel so lucky that I ended up there and not in a bigger city.<\/p>\n

CM: These past 30 years have gone by so fast. Anything else come to mind about those Sacto days?<\/p>\n

JM: A lot of my memories aren\u2019t music-related at all. They\u2019re about just being with my kid. It was just so nice that she could come on Sunday to open mic at Old Ironsides to see me. It was a welcoming place for me and my young daughter, so that\u2019s a whole other level of it. It was so full for me.<\/p>\n

CM: Musically, what\u2019s your game plan for this celebration of \u201cTin Cans With String?\u201d<\/p>\n

JM: It\u2019s not going to be a folksy, softie version (of the album). What I\u2019m imagining is my kind of growly guitar and do really full-energy ofthe songs without trying to make it sound like the album. It\u2019s been really cool to sort it out for these solo-ish kind of shows, because people are going to join me on stage too.<\/p>\n

CM: I\u2019ve been digging into \u201cTin Cans\u201d a lot these days and it still sounds so fresh. How does the album strike you while revisiting it now?<\/p>\n

JM: One of my goals has always been to just to make music that I\u2019d want to listen to, no matter what anyone else thinks of it. That sounds so simple but it\u2019s tough to do. Enough time has passed that I still think it sounds like its own animal. I don\u2019t know a record that sounds like it, which is cool after all this time.<\/p>\n

CM: You always seem to be busy with various projects. What else can we expect from you this year?<\/p>\n

JM: This is my busiest in a long time and in a beautiful way. I\u2019m gonna try and do as many shows that I can celebrate \u201cTin Cans.\u201d My dream is that by the end of the year, I\u2019ll make it back (to Sacramento) with a full band and do it again.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a whole new album called \u201cRAINBOWMACHINE.\u201d It\u2019s the loudest Onelinedrawing or solo thing I\u2019ve ever done. It\u2019ll be released around the summertime. And honestly, speaking of Sacto, I will say out loud: it is definitely the most Sacto thing I\u2019ve ever released since Far.<\/p>\n

Fill your Friday night with photography and stories<\/p>\n

The details:<\/p>\n

Casa de Espa\u00f1ol, 1101 R St., Sacramento<\/p>\n

6 p.m., April 3 (Friday)<\/p>\n

Free entry<\/p>\n

R Street will already be popping Friday at the Warehouse Artist Lofts<\/a> for its monthly open studios<\/a>, shopping and art appreciation. While you\u2019re at it, head across the street to Casa de Espa\u00f1ol<\/a> for the opening of \u201cEstamos Aqu\u00ed.\u201d<\/a> It\u2019s an irresistible group photography show from such noted local artists as Dominick Porras, Ruben Briseno Reveles\u00a0and Janine Mapurunga, who\u2019s also regarded in food circles for her Sacramento Farmers and Chefs<\/a> series. Each photo at Estamos Aqu\u00ed is paired with a story that gives extra poignancy to the visual pop.<\/p>\n

Ponder themes of mass hysteria at a classic play<\/p>\n

The details:<\/p>\n

Woodland Opera House, 340 Second St., Woodland<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m., April 2-4 (Thursday-Saturday)<\/p>\n

$16.05-$24.08, with discounts for seniors (62+) and youth (17 and under)<\/p>\n

Arthur Miller\u2019s \u201cThe Crucible\u201d is just a couple years from celebrating the 75th anniversary of its Broadway debut. In this era of cancel culture and political polarization, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play based on the Salem witch trials seems just as relevant now. Head to the Woodland Opera House<\/a> for its version of \u201cThe Crucible\u201d that runs Thursday through Saturday.<\/p>\n

A concert where the opening act could be the headliner<\/p>\n

The details:<\/p>\n

Hard Rock Live, 3317 Forty Mile Road, Wheatland<\/p>\n

8 p.m., April 4 (Saturday)<\/p>\n

$60-$141 plus taxes<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a show where the opening act might draw as many folks as the headliner. Last time Destroy Boys<\/a> played in the area, the Sacramento-born band sold out Channel 24 in Midtown. Now, the punk band with a ferocious international following is back to support Rise Against<\/a> at Hard Rock Live in Wheatland. Expect a night of local pride and lots of moshing as both bands crank through their sets.<\/p>\n

More events you won\u2019t want to miss<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s\u202fkeep it going with bonus picks for this week and beyond:<\/p>\n

Before I go,<\/p>\n

Thanks again to JonEmery Dodds and Scott Schiller for having me last week on \u201cThat California Sound!\u201d<\/a> via KDRT 95.7. We talked about Cultural Capital, mid-life skateboarding, the partnership between Abridged and Davis Media Access<\/a> and all things Yolo. I had a blast and the segment can be found here<\/a> around the 84:30 mark.<\/p>\n

See you next week!<\/p>\n

Chris\u00a0Macias\u00a0is a regular contributor, writing\u00a0Cultural Capital\u00a0for Abridged.\u00a0<\/p>\n