Nothing to do this weekend? Right...

The big entertainment thing this weekend is the Oscars on Sunday night (go, Juno!), but that's not the only fun to be had.

Tonight, the Deftones' singer/guitarist Chino Moreno is going to be DJ'ing at Harlow's to celebrate the one year anniversary of Royal Peacock Tattoo Parlor at the corner of 21st and P Streets downtown. Chino is one of Sacramento's best and most successful international rock acts. This is a chance to see him in a different role. He's on at 10 p.m.

Gregory Isaaks, who has been doing reggae proud for decades himself, will be at Harlow's on Thursday night. This guy is the real deal. Here's a video of him at Reggae Sunsplash way back in 1983...



Not music, but should be fun: the All-Sketch Comedy Festival plays three days this weekend, put on by local comic and man-about-town Keith Lowell Jensen, who we like because he also has three names. AND he's funny. That's Thursday-Saturday, with TEN different sketch comedy groups, including Sacramento's own I Can't Believe It's Not Comedy troupe, as well as The Trash Film Orgy All-Stars, The Weekly Armenian, Sketch Armstrong and Neil Hamburger. That's at the Crest Theatre Thursday through Saturday. Tickets for the whole shebang are $75, but if you can only take so much fun, you can get individual tickets as well, and discounts area available. Check it out here.

Sweet Honey in the Rock will be playing the Mondavi Center Saturday night. These four women sing a cappella arrangements of spirituals, folk songs and even classic reggae, with great skill and subtlety. They've been going for about 35 years now, and they are said to be better than ever.




Pablo Cruise was a semi-big deal around these parts about 30 years ago, and the group, or a semblance, will be playing the Powerhouse in Folsom tonight. You know, "Love Will Find a Way," the Seventies, remember?



Going back another decade, early punk rock/metal band Blue Cheer, with Sacramento's own Dickey Peterson on bass and vocals, is together and working its version of "Summertime Blues" - which preceded The Who's by a couple of years. They'll be at the Blue Lamp on Saturday, with Th' Losin' Streaks and Dungeons and Drag Queens opening. Tickets are $12.



Tickets go on sale on Saturday for The Police concert on July 17 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre. 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster. Seats are $225!!! But you can get the "cheap" lawn seats for "only" $40.50. And there are some upper level seats at $90.50. Elvis Costello and the Imposters will open. For some cool Police videos, check a couple of blog posts back.

Also, Music Circus season subscriptions are now on sale, and you can see SEVEN musicals for $251, little more than the price of one Police concert. Don't roll your eyes: One of the musicals is Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" and "Hairspray" is another. OK, so they'll never be as cool as a great rock show, but a well-done musical - and California Musical Theatre, the folks behind Music Circus - do it WELL. Also on the season ticket: Evita, Gypsy, Swing!, My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music.

Finally, tickets are on sale for my second live talk show, now dubbed, for lack of a better name, "The David Watts Barton Show" - if you have a better idea, let me know. I had a hard enough time naming myself, let alone my show (long story...). Anyway, it's set for next Friday, Feb. 29, and my guests so far include a very rare public appearance by Tower/R5 honcho Russ Solomon, as well as Sacramento favorite son Anton Barbeau, before he heads back to his adopted country, England. Show time is 8 p.m. at the Geery Theatre, 22nd and L Streets downtown.