Arts Devo

Happy New Art As Arts DEVO sees it, there’s hardly a better way to start off a new year than by filling the calendar with fresh art. Here are a few choice items on my radar for the first couple months of the year.

• Jan. 10: Codename: Jenny at Pageant Theatre: A film by radical German film collective Liberated Lens, about taking the leap into activism. In response to a world of environmental destruction, endless war and the global rise of the far right, a woman and her friends decide to take action. The filmmakers will be on hand for a post-film discussion. One showing only: Thursday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.

• Jan. 17-Feb. 20: Broken Open at 1078 Gallery: Anyone who knows Arts DEVO knows that something advertised as a “sound/word/object” show is going to pique my interest. This three-person group exhibit explores the potential meanings behind the words “broken open” via a different medium for each artist—sound installations for Evelyn Ficarra; poems by Elise Ficarra and the ceramics of Cameron Crawford. While I can’t say I understand much of the dense show statement on the 1078 website (“in broken objects the sounds yet inhere,” “The domestic economy inherent in plates and cups,” “when the war-dragon Fafnir sleeps”), I’m nonetheless down for some experimental weirdness. Reception is Saturday, Jan. 26, 6-8 p.m.

• Jan. 18: Jonathan Richman and MaMuse: KZFR community radio presents a big-ticket fundraiser for Camp Fire relief efforts at the Chico Women’s Club. Legendary troubadour/proto-punk pioneer Jonathan Richman is joined by Chico’s favorite daughters, MaMuse, for an early evening show (doors at 6:30 p.m.), with advance tickets going for $20 at Chico Paper Co., Blaze N’ J’s, KZFR and brownpapertickets.com

• Jan. 24-26: Madonna: Uncle Dad’s Art Collective: Chico Performances brings Uncle Dad’s back for another multidiscipline tribute to a musical great, Madonna Louise Ciccone. The all-local Uncle Dad’s orchestra teams up with a cast of guest musicians and other performance artists for a soundtrack that spans the Queen of Pop’s decades-long catalog. Three shows in three nights at Laxson Auditorium.

• Jan. 27: Eric Bachmann: Just two months after Lou Barlow sneaked into town for a stellar intimate house show, one of his indie-rock contemporaries—the former frontman for legendary North Carolina noisemakers Archers of Loaf—is coming to a private home in Chico. Search “Eric Bachmann Living Room Show” on Facebook for info on how to buy tickets for this acoustic performance—featuring a full band—in support of his latest solo album, No Recover.

• Feb. 14-March 3: Return to Paradise: “We hope you will join us as we celebrate our hopes and dreams for the future. Please return to Paradise with us, opening Valentine’s Day for a three-week run. A love letter to Paradise!” Perhaps the best arts news of all is that Theatre on the Ridge is planning its first post-Camp Fire show with a Paradise-themed edition of its popular Radioland musical.