Arts DEVO

Summer cleaning

As the seasons cross over one another—heavy, sticky heat one day; a lightening storm and a delicious, cool breeze the next—Arts DEVO is getting a little melancholy. I really love the long, hot days of summer, and I am not quite ready to make the transition into autumn. I’ll come around, but in the meantime I am going to just sit here and stare out the window. Go on now … don’t mind me. I will be sippin’ on my girly bubble tea (from Broadway Market), content to just sit, stare, and be comforted by a few old summer faves …

When there’s things to do not because you gotta
When you run for love not because you oughtta
When you trust your friends with no reason, nada
The joy I name shall not be tamed
And that summer feeling is gonna haunt you one day in your life

—Jonathan Richman, “That Summer Feeling”

DEVOtions

• Will sing for car: I gotta admit that I have mixed feelings about doing arts-editor biz on Facebook. It’s mostly because I hate investing too much time communicating via the site, and so a lot of messages from artists and musicians who don’t also email or mail press releases fall through the cracks. Maybe I need to catch up with the rest of the universe, but I kinda don’t want to. But I will. (But I still don’t want to.)

Nonetheless, I did remember that local dread-headed singer/songwriter Kyle Williams sent me a note asking if I’d let y’all know that his new song “She” is available for purchase at kylewilliams.bandcamp.com.

Yes, I will, my soulful brother. Go and pay a buck (or more if you like) and not only will you get his big voice and ukulele on a sweet love note to “She,” you’ll also get the satisfaction of helping a restless troubadour pay for getting his ride fixed so he can get back out on the road.

• See all messages: I also got FB’d by old friend, musician and CAMMIES O.G. Chris Caraway, with a link to the hilarious online commercial he made for Franky’s restaurant. It stars local actor/musician and LaSalles bartender/booker Jeremy Votava, who is on the case and lookin’ for Franky. Look up “Finding Franky” at www.youtube.com/user/ChicoIVP. Caraway also sent word that the CD-release party for his new solo album, Safe Cigarettes, is coming up, Oct. 19, at LaSalles.

• Bottle of art in your hand: Last week, in Alan Sheckter’s feature on the Mother Hips’ 20th anniversary show (“Back to Chico”) , we mentioned the release of the band’s four-disc box set Days of Sun and Grass. What we didn’t mention is that the grass and sunshine painted on the cover was created by Jason Roberson, known for his designs of beer labels for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. So, there you go.

• “By far, the best puppet movie of all time”: With a description like that, you have to be curious about the film Puppets to Infinity. The music-and-puppet feature is the work of Hibbity Skibbity, the duo of violinist Gina Violina, who died last month of cancer, and her partner and guitarist August Kube. What better way to pay tribute to the late artist by attending the world premiere this Saturday, Sept. 17, at noon and 1 p.m., at the Pageant Theatre.