Arts Devo

TURN IT UP Arts DEVO is lost in the heat, moving too fast and sweaty through these long days. It’s time to slow down and let tradition and ritual take over, do summer proper and let the simple pleasures of Nor Cal living cool my spirit. Music is a start, and while I may be pitifully behind on compiling my summer-jam playlist, I do have this song on repeat: “Blue Train Lines,” a killer single from UK duo Mount Kimbie’s forthcoming album (Love What Survives, due Sept. 8 on Warp Records). Featuring guest howling by the incomparable King Krule (yes!!!), it’s a wonderful bit of fuzzy, weird pop that’ll add flavor to whatever you’re filling your summer days with. Stream on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Music.

By the time we got to Butte Meadows It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from that promoter of grand visions Julian Ruck, but the musical impresario who tried to put Chico’s music scene on the map by lining up nearly every local band for a couple of longest-concert world-record attempts is back, sort of. Currently posted up in Fargo, N.D., Ruck has been roaming around the country playing music and strumming up interest for his own record attempts at the world’s longest ukulele concert. And at the same time, he’s been putting together a new unwieldy idea geared toward our local music scene: Chicostock.

A month from now, Aug. 18-20, at The Outpost in Butte Meadows, Ruck is planning to stage a “song-for-song tribute” to Woodstock, with Chico artists covering all of the 300-plus tunes played at the 1969 music festival. The hope is to make this into an annual event and build momentum and interest over the next couple of years leading up to the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.

It’s coming together at the last minute—the venue was just secured and there are still open spots—so what it’s going to look like at this point is unknown. (I can’t wait to see who has enough Bowzer in them to sign up for any portion of the Sha Na Na set.)

Visit Ruck’s LITS Production page at www.facebook.com/litsprochico for info on the show, and instructions on how to sign up.

Art for Desmond Members of the 1078 Gallery are staying busy while they look for a new space to call home. In addition to curating a pop-up sculpture garden for the annual Butcher Shop theater festival (Sept. 2-3, at the End of Normal), they are putting out the call for an open-entry group exhibit titled Portraits of Desmond. Artists of all media are encouraged to submit works in remembrance of Desmond Phillips, the 25-year-old who was shot and killed in his home by Chico police officers during a mental health check. According to a press release, “The goal of this project is to raise awareness about this case and bring attention to efforts being made to address the high incidence of fatal police encounters in our community, especially where mental health issues are involved.” This exhibit will also take place during Butcher Shop.

Visit www.facebook.com/1078gallery/events for exhibit and submission info.