Arts Devo

Rotator tuff The goal of the surgery is to re-anchor the torn tendon back to the bone.

“La la la la … I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. I was under the table with my fingers in my ears.”

Arts DEVO is grateful he didn’t do too much research ahead of his recent surgery to repair a torn shoulder tendon and reattach a bicep tendon that was barely hanging on. It turns out that clueless and exhausted was probably a better pre-op gameplan than informed and pissing myself.

Visions of bone screws and the annoyance of four weeks (so far) in an arm sling aside, it’s been pretty smooth going. (Thank you, Dr. David Schillen at Shasta Orthopaedics!) I’m just impatient and eager to put my shoulder to work fist-pumping my way through this beautiful spring.

On the bright side, after a few weeks off, I get to return to this column. And dammit if I didn’t miss hanging with y’all! So much has happened—1078 Gallery’s new location was approved for live music, the upgraded Humboldt Avenue Skate Park opened, the sun came out. And so much is still happening:

• Former Chico State music major Madeline Mathews—who goes by MAWD when she’s singing her rootsy indie tunes—moved to Los Angeles last year to pursue a music career and it looks like she’s starting to get some notice. This week, both LA Weekly and Buzzbands.la posted reviews online of her video for the impressively recorded, soulful, toe-tappin’ rocker, “Dark Room.” Visit her site, mawdmusic.com, to hear/see for yourself.

• Amber Sauer, the Paradise-raised singer who recently made it to the first battle round of the current season of The Voice singing competition (she was eliminated on the March 20 episode), has started a funding drive to finance the recording of an EP of original music. Visit gofundme.com/ambersauer to chip in.

• And there are some killer shows hitting Chico in the spring: Lost on Main has New Orleans’ Rebirth Brass Band April 17; new Big Room Manager Mahina Gannet has Cults (May 20) and Son Little (May 27); man about town Jake Sprecher has Big Business (Jared from KARP and Coady from Murder City Devils) at Chico Women’s Club June 7 and has also teamed up with Naked Lounge booker Matt Leyrat for Valley Fever, a two-day garage-rock meltdown—featuring Guantanamo Baywatch, Jonathan Richman and 18 more local and visiting crews—at multiple downtown venues April 20-21; and new power-booking duo Donald “Spirit Molecule” Beaman and Boris “Mockingbyrd Coffee” Breckinridge have (to name a couple) Tourag guitarist Mdou Moctar at Naked Lounge May 22 and Chico fave Richard Buckner at the new Tender Loving Coffee on May 26. That’s all in addition to the CN&R’s CAMMIES Finale (more info on page 30) with 13 local bands performing April 22 outside at Sierra Nevada’s new Container Bar next to the hop fields!

RIP Molly Got the heavy news this past weekend that local artist Molly Amick died on Saturday, March 31. She was 52. Actually, her identity as “an artist” was a relatively recent development. Amick spent 22 years as a primary care and psychiatric nurse practitioner before retiring 2 1/2 years ago after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She’d always been a voracious collector of art, and in retirement threw herself into creating her own. This past month she filled the walls of Beatniks for a one-woman art show (which closed, neatly enough, on the same day Amick did) and sold every piece but one. Another coincidence: The cover image for this week’s issue is one of Amick’s paintings, “The Ferryman,” a dark and lovely piece from her recent show that pairs well with the annual Poetry 99 issue.

The staff at the CN&R sends our condolences to Molly’s son, Atticus, and husband, Sterling Ogden. Rest in power, Molly.