Arts DEVO

Hot … Arts DEVO has said it before, but this week especially (topping out at 108) it bears repeating: I love the heat. Being raised in the hot crotch of the North Valley—aka Redding—I’ve been pre-calibrated to tolerate the 100-plus days. When a heat wave hits, I’m always taken back to those long summer days traipsing across Diestelhorst Bridge with my crew, and I am more than happy to give into being a little extra moist for a few days. If I wouldn’t drown in my own phlegm from attempting to wade through the wildfire smoke, I would love nothing more than to be out cruising around right now with the windows down in my Volvo with the busted A/C, stopping for lunch at a taco wagon in a parking lot, and washing down a plate of carnitas and pickled jalapeños with an ice-chilled bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola.

Hot boys of summer Even with The Beard out for the season, a slumping Freak and sporadic Panda sightings, this has been a pretty kick-ass season for San Francisco’s Baseball Giants. They’re holding steady at the top of their division heading into the final stretch of the season; Matt Cain pitched the one and only perfect game in the franchise’s 127-year history (on June 13); and the guys on the team are really fun to root for, especially catcher Buster Posey, who I might have a little bit of a man crush on. In a recent post at McCovey Chronicles, Giants blogger Grant Brisbree summed up the All-Star catcher better than I could: “I’m already out of adjectives for Posey. I’m going to have to start using nouns and verbs to describe him. He is puppy-frolicking. He is cheer. He is the sun, nourishing all crops and foodstuffs.” Exactly.

Hot, but not messy Hey, whatever happened Hot Mess, the Chico pop-rock crew fronted by local musical-theater diva Storey Anderson that took a giant leap across the country to try to make a go of things in the Nashville, Tenn., music scene? I’ll tell you what happened. They caught the ear of Chad Carlson–Grammy Award-winning engineer for Taylor Swift—who offered to record and produce their next EP! Go look up Hot Mess on kickstarter.com now, and help your homies raise enough scratch to pay for studio costs.

Hot rock It seems like every time Chico faves Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers come to town for a show (Sunday, Aug. 19, at the Big Room), there’s some big news arriving just ahead of them. This time, it’s the announcement that Bluhm is now … a Gap girl? It’s true, Gap signed Bluhm on to be part of their hip new Shine campaign, featuring young musicians and dancers in updated retro styles. (Also featured in the ads—Americana-rock trio, The Avett Brothers, coming through town three days after Bluhm, Wednesday, Aug. 22, at Laxson Auditorium).

Hot date This week marks 20 years since Mrs. DEVO and I went on our first date. I remember breathless conversation over Italian food, a long walk after sunset and a first kiss while sitting on the limb of a crooked tree in Upper Park as if it happened last night.