Date music

Chicoans like to be entertained, but just as with their pints of Sierra Nevada, they don’t like to pay too much for it. Chico more than obliges this condition too—it takes no planning at all to hit the town with 20 bucks and get a few buck pints, share another pitcher or two with your crew, slide a slice down your throat and catch at least one set worth of folk, rock or jazz.

But, like the saying says, you get what you pay for, and if you want any variety in production, or you want to enjoy a well-presented “show” (maybe take a date to?) then you need to plan on spending a little more than $20. Since this is Chico, though, you won’t be spending too much more, and despite the bardominance of our nightlife there are several quality events on the horizon that are worth a little extra planning and saving.

Each of the second-tier venues/promoters in the area—Sierra Nevada’s Big Room, The Brick Works, Gold Country Casino, Feather Falls Casino, North Valley Productions, CSU Chico’s School of the Arts and CSU Chico’s AS Presents—will feature a couple of noteworthy musical selections this semester, from the contemporary (Keller Williams, AS Presents) to the legendary (George Jones, Gold Country Casino). And the big kahuna, Chico State’s Chico Performances, will put on a dozen or so get-yerself-fancy events as varied as Ani DiFranco (April 5) and the astounding traveling jazz fest, Newport Jazz Festival (March 24).

You can also take the money and run down to Davis’s Mondavi Center for something Chico Performances might not be carrying, such as New York’s innovative Absolute Ensemble’s tribute to Frank Zappa, Absolute Zappa. Also of note in Davis are the UC Davis Coffee House shows featuring the kind of touring post-punk and indie acts that used to stop over at the Blue Room (usually for a mere five bucks). In the next month Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Nada Surf and The Jealous Sound will play at these all-ages showcases.

What follows is just a sample of the choice concerts on the horizon.

Make a date:

January
Pam Tillis, Gold Country Casino (1/23)
Paco de Lucia, Chico Performances (1/23)
Mushroomhead & Dope, Brick Works (1/24)
Hot Tuna & Box Set, North Valley Productions (1/27)
Hawaiian Slack Key Fest, Chico Performances (1/31)

February
The Jealous Sound, UC Davis Coffee House (2/5)
Nada Surf, UC Davis Coffee House (2/6)
International Guitar Fest, Chico Performances (2/7 & 8)
Sara Evans, Win-River Casino (2/8)
David Grisman & Martin Taylor, Sierra Nevada Big Room (2/10)
O.C. Allstars & Numberone Gun, Brick Works (2/10)
George Jones, Gold Country Casino (2/13)
Judy Collins, Chico Performances (2/14)
Rain, Feather Falls Casino (2/14)
Vinyl, AS Presents (2/20)
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, UCDavis Coffee House (2/21)
Bruce Cockburn, North Valley Productions (2/21)
North State Symphony (Elegant Vienna), School of the Arts (2/28)

March
Arlo Guthrie, Chico Performances (3/12)
Tanya Tucker, Feather Falls Casino (3/19)
Keller Williams, AS Presents (3/23)
Newport Jazz Fest, Chico Performances (3/24)

April
Bach Fest, School of the Arts (4/2 & 3)
Ani DiFranco, Chico Performances (4/5)
Will Durst, Sierra Nevada Big Room (4/6)

May
Absolute Zappa, Mondavi Center (5/1)
North State Symphony, School of the Arts (5/16)
Tower of Power, Win-River Casino (5/17)

Tickets and more info:
A.S. Presents, Chico Performances, School of the Arts, (530) 898-6333
Brick Works, (530) 895-7700
Feather Falls Casino, (530) 533-3885
Gold Country Casino, (800) 803-1911
Mondavi Center (Davis), (866) 754-ARTS
North Valley Productions, 345-8136
Sierra Nevada Big Room, (530) 345-2739
UC Davis Coffee House, (530) 752-2571
Win-River Casino, (800) 280-UWIN