Arts DEVO

The day the drummer died Artists come and go in this college town, and Chico welcomes every one of them when they arrive in fantasyland and wishes them well when they return to the real world. But some artists are so involved in Chico’s arts community that their absence would change its very definition, and we have to kick down with a little more than mere well-wishing. So we throw ’em a funeral.

With his ethnomusicology master’s degree in hand, drummer-in-a-thousand-bands Tino Marrufo is heading home to L.A. on Oct. 19 to start his new job as director and musical instructor for three ensembles sponsored by an at-risk-kids service group. But before he goes, on Friday, Oct. 16, at the Down Lo, his musical pals are hosting Death of a Drummer, a mock funeral featuring live performances by a bunch of bands soon to be without a drummer. On the schedule to deliver musical eulogies: Mute Witness, Aubrey Debauchery & The Puke Boots and two sets of jazz by the T-Special.

I asked Mr. Marrufo if he had any last words to share with the people of Chico, and the undead drummer generously filled in the blanks:• If I could bring one thing in Chico with me to L.A. it would be: the inexpensive cost of booze!• The single greatest musical experience I had while living in Chico was: There are two, performing at Duffy’s for the Mute Witness CD-release show and performing my master’s recital.• Remember Chico drummers, always: give support to one another, and play in that pocket!• Hey Chico, it’s time to stop bitching and: go see some live music!• The best thing to put in your stomach at 2:45 a.m. is: a slice of Main St. Pizza with red and yellow bell peppers, jalapeños and pineapple.• Always remember Tino Marrufo’s words of advice: Set your mind to obtaining your goal. Live a cool life with cool people, help one another and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Take the good with the bad and make the best of what you got. Sometimes you won’t even have that, and when you come to that recognition, you’ll get a lot more out of life’s experiences. I’ll see you all at Duffy’s for last call! Peace …

Reel deAL I am long overdue in giving some ink to the annual FOCUS Film Festival—which is now in its fifth year! The festival is put together by the Far Northern Regional Center, a service and support organization for people with developmental disabilities. While much of the fest is made up of films addressing issues of disability, the aim is simply to focus on the “complexities of the human experience” with the hope of creating a broader definition of what it means to be normal.

This year, FOCUS takes place over two days at two locations: Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Sierra Nevada Big Room will be a showing of Where’s Molly?, a documentary about one man’s search for his estranged sister who was given up by their parents when she was deemed mentally retarded at the age of 3. And Wednesday, Oct. 20, in the BMU Auditorium at Chico State, there will be a day-long program of four films, plus a collection of short-film competition winners. For more info visit www.farnorthernrc.org/FOCUSFilmFestival.

DEVOtions

•LOOK | LISTEN | WATCH: Singer/songwriter, visual artist and fashion designer Erin Lizardo has a new online home for her creative output: www.erinlizardo.com. Dig the rustic imagery of Lizardo’s “Water Next to Wine” video, made by Chico filmmaker Andrew Burke.

•Go to this show … says Maurice Spencer Tielmann: Bear Hunter’s So-Cal tour kick-off Thursday, Oct. 15, at Duffy’s Tavern. (Let this be a lesson to all you happy-fun-time-makers out there. Simply tell the Arts DEVO about your goodness or badness—or dish on the good/bad of others—and he might share it with Chico. Speak: jasonc@newsreview.com.)