Are you hibernating or just cooped up watching porn?

Live from Sacramento: I just got a copy of ’s new DVD, A Cross the Universe, which is just OK. But it’s so painless to consider their bad-ass † set and think “Man, so many Sac bands really can’t bring it live,” which is partly because so many bands don’t have three stories of Marshall stacks tripped out with strobes and friggin’ lasers for drug-addled amusement.

Either way, Sac’s music scene kinda sucks right now, yeah? Or is it the weather … or the Sacramento c(sh)it(t)y officials? Or me?

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But, please, trust me: There’s no schadenfreude to be had by writing that the live music scene is lifeless. Let’s just hope Sac artists are hunkered up in bedrooms and basements toying with new ideas and sounds for warmer spring days.

That said, there still are plenty of local bands that kill it live with the purest of talent. Like Silver Darling, an SN&R mainstay this past year—I know—but for good reason: Wow! Their new lineup consists of the usual suspects—lead guitar, vocals, bass—but they’ve added trombone, keys and a drummer. The result: a set that does live music justice. Catch them Saturday, December 13, at Fox & Goose.

Or, if you’re in D.C. for the inauguration, Silver D will be playing on January 17, as part of the Christian Kiefer produced 43 Presidents project concert (see “Songs of Great and Mortal Men,” SN&R Arts&Culture, September 4). Rumor has it they’ll be covering the “” track off said album.

That show will be killer, yes, but so will this Saturday at Javalounge: Touchez, Rock the Light and San Kazakgascar (8 p.m, $5, all ages). SanK vocalist Jed Brewer and I met for coffee last week; he’s a 20-plus year resident of Sac and Davis, so he would know about the scene’s ebb and flow. His thoughts? … Well, I’d let you know his thoughts, but I’ve lost my notes. But let’s just say Brewer’s pretty optimistic that we’ll persevere—again—and thinks the local-music din is indeed one to admire.

As for Brewer’s band’s zany brand of Eastern bloc rock: Don’t miss SanK’s first set after a couple months in hibernation. (Nick Miller)

The scene ain’t dead, it’s resting with God: Rumor has it Jon Pinney, the indie Mormon rocker from Roseville, got back together with his band. Excited? Me too. In fact, let me change my special undergarments. So if you enjoy music that’s positive, joyous, God-centric and totally heterosexual (that you can rock to without worrying about going to hell or enjoying yourself too much), then grab one of your wives and check out www.myspace.com/jonpinney.

In other news, emcee N.O.N. (Tribe of Levi) slipped me a sampler mix of some of his recent solo work and damn, it’s good. Actually, it’s really good. “This Is Hip Hop” (produced by Mahtie Bush) features Joan of Arch and Mr. P Chill and it’s so dirty and old-school that it made me take a shower and then put Beat Street on my Netflix. The song “Touch Tone” has a crazy dance beat by Rocky Path that perfectly compliments N.O.N.’s low-frequency flow. Other standouts include “Plant Earf” and “Fair Game”—both produced by DJ Filth. Here’s a nugget of advice for emcees with low, smooth voices: Take a hint from Q-Tip, Bahamadia and Buckshot—turn up the vocals on all your tracks so you don’t get swallowed by the beat.

If you’re a fan of improvised music, or not, check out this new Web site made by Ross Hammond: www.smfmusic.com. The site provides you with all the meats and sauces of the Sacramento improvised-music scene in the form of listening samples, videos and a blog. Ross Hammond: Fuck yeah! (Josh Fernandez)

When punks get old: Just in case I can’t get a hold of Jesse Michaels (Operation Ivy, Common Rider), I’d like to point you to a show happening next week that you’ve wanted to see for a while. Mr. Michaels, who has been working on some new solo stuff, will play a set with Kevin Seconds (duh) and Mike Park at Luna’s Café & Juice Bar on Friday, December 19, at 9 p.m. Obviously, the $10 cover is only a fraction of what the show will be worth. (J.F.)