Arts DEVO

Hold up your scores Last summer poetry-slam guru and Chico Butter radio host (all local artists every Saturday, 1:30-3 p.m. on KZFR, 90.1FM) Tazuo Yamaguchi debuted his ambitious Chico Summertime Invitational Poetry Slam. His event attracted a slew of nationally recognized slam poets from all around California who joined a handful of local slammers at Café Coda for a three-round, spoken-word showdown.

The over-packed event was so successful that this year Yamaguchi has gone national, rounding up a very impressive roster of poets for a second Summertime Invitational. Starring: 2009 National Poetry Slam individual champ Rudy Francisco (San Diego); two-time National Poetry Slam champs Charlotte, N.C., team member Mekkah; 2009 Berkeley Slam champ (and last year’s Summertime Invitational champ) Johnny Tornado; 2009 and 2010 Texas Grand Slam champs Colin Gilbert and Stephen Sargent; 2009 Oakland Slam Champ Joyce Lee; and many more, including several locals (Himp C, Sarah Myles Spencer, etc.).

The show goes down next Thursday, June 10, at Café Coda. Find Chico Poetry Slam on Facebook to get tickets in advance.

I will be on vacation next week, so I went ahead and held my own Arts DEVO Internet-performance Simulated Slam-off with as many of the performers as I could track down online. My results: Francisco faced off against a fiery Lee in a tight final, with Lee winning me over with her crazy “Mad Love”: “Hey, I’m sittin’ here, wearing your favorite T-shirt, soaking my feet in green Jell-O, eating Cheese Puffs, masturbating every time I hear you call me a bitch on my answering machine ….”

Summer Jam mix update: A quick shout out to Emmalee (and Willow too) for the Sleighbells recommendation(s). Anyone who appreciates having their face blown off or their summer soul lifted should find “Tell ’Em” and “Rill Rill” (feat. tasty Funkadelic sample), respectively, on their Internets and feed each directly into their kick-ass-jam hole.

Feelin’ devil horny? For some reason summer is starting off with a super loud bang: Beginning tonight, June 3, we get the can’t-believe-it’s-happening-in-Chico show of the summer with Isis tour mates Tombs at Monstros; then Monday, June 7, there is a six-band Metal Fest (more of a hardcore fest) at Dunstone Hall in Oroville (4790 Foothill Blvd.), with Texas five-piece Close Your Eyes, Colorado’s It Prevails, Sac’s Carry the Torch, speed-pop locals Marked for Death, etc.; and next Thursday, June 10, none other than thrash metal pioneers Exodus will land at the Senator Theatre.

Carry earplugs at all times.

DEVOtions

• Arts Diva’s blog: Arts DEVO predecessor and local arts maven Carla Resnick has a beautiful blog devoted to Nor Cal permaculture: http://permacal.blogspot.com. Follow the progress of the hummingbird building a nest on her patio.

• Indie rock dance party: The newly reopened Maltese Taproom has started a weekly indie-rock dance night called Got a Date With the Night. Get cheap PBRs and nod your head to Arcade Fire and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs every Wednesday.

• Happy Birthday: Gotta send good wishes to my bro-in-law and good friend Tom Wigton, who enters his seventh decade today, June 3. Happy 60th, buddy!