Arts DEVO

Keyboard Monkey
When you work at a newspaper, people are always telling you stuff. And when you write a column in a newspaper, the more stuff people tell you, the easier life becomes. In fact, Chico, if you continually sent me your tips, scoops, rumors, questions and rants, I’d never have to write a thing. This column would fill itself up automatically every week … and it would actually be the better for it.

Don’t get me wrong: I like to write, and am perfectly content to use this space to pontificate on the finer points of Energy Domes and showing those evil spuds what’s what.

But to be real, a column DEVOted to the Chico arts scene that is engaged in an ongoing conversation with the scene … that’s the dream:

The phone call
My favorite friendly thrash-metal banshee, Makai frontman Brandon Squyres, called the Arts DEVO compound Sunday to share some breaking news. A last-minute show has been set up by Squyres and company inside the Paradise Lost warehouse (177 E. 20th St., at Park Avenue) featuring epic Louisville, Kent., metal three-piece Coliseum and supercharged Boston rockers Clouds (featuring members from Cave In and The Hope Conspiracy). After a few listens, Clouds has a great Stooges grittiness mixed with an old-school, British, punky metal energy that harkens back to Mötorhead and even Judas Priest (I swear!).

Local crews The Makai, Blood of Cain and Red Giant open for what promises to be an epic Sunday night (Nov. 2, 7 p.m., $5).

The e-mail
“Hello: So this morning I saw this weird thing in a full dumpster in my yard. Well, come to find out it’s art, and not trash.” That’s the beginning of an e-mail I received last week from good Samaritan Les Harrison. The art he found in the garbage was actually one of the molded-garbage mushrooms planted at One Mile in Bidwell Park by artist Erin Wade as part of her temporary public art piece on display through Saturday, Nov. 1. I passed the e-mail along to Erin via friends of hers:

“Thank you all. I got in touch with Les and will go pick up the missing mushroom.” —Erin Wade

The forwarded e-mail
A last-minute missive from the Shoebox Ensemble’s Garrison Harward (via his pal and CN&R Calendar Editor Christy Pryde): “The play is called A Time for Leaving and it is about American Marines and Iraqi insurgents in Iraq. The show will run Sunday 11/2 and Monday 11/3 at 7:30 p.m. in PAC 134 (Rowland Taylor Recital Hall). Tickets are $5 for students and $8 general admission. The play has never been performed before, this is a world premiere! Thank you for considering it for the calendar.” You’re welcome.

The lunch date
I recently had a very nice visit over a Caesar salad and Pellegrino at the Black Crow with A.S. Presents honcho Dwight Frey and publicity coordinator Kayte Olsufka. Conversation revolved around the presidential election and, naturally, music, and regarding the latter I was probably most intrigued about the fact that A.S. Presents is bringing badass New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott to Chico State Saturday, Dec. 5. And, most excellently, the show will be going down in the acoustically blessed Laxson Auditorium.

The guy on the street
After sharing a pint with my bro-in-law at Duffy’s on recent Friday night, I stepped into the warm night and stopped at a vendor’s table covered in white T-shirts in front of the Crazy Horse. For only $5 I picked up this sweet one-of-a-kind design celebrating the season, love and rock ’n’ roll. Keep ’em coming!