Days of Lore

Small town makes good
Every time I think, “How many times can Insane Clown Posse, the Kottonmouth Kings and Tech N9ne possibly play at The Senator Theatre?” JMax Productions brings us someone like Social Distortion and, now, Queens of the Stone Age.

QOTSA is looking out for us little guys, playing in places like Boise and Fresno in addition to li’l ol’ Chico (how about a show at the Tehama District Fairgrounds in Red Bluff, jerks!?). The band will kick the tour off this week and make its way to our fair town July 24.

The new record Era Vulgaris is out June 12, but the video for the first single, “Sick Sick Sick,” will surely whet your appetite … or to be more accurate, give your gag reflex a workout. Check it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcXCaXz0GbU

Oh … get your tickets fast; they go on sale Sat., June 9, and are available at Diamond W Western Wear in Chico, and online at www.ticketweb.com.

¡Viva México!
Those crazy Cruxters always have something fun up their sleeves. They’re bringing in some interesting music this weekend in the form of Antiguo Autómata Mexicano, aka Ángel Sánchez Borges, one of the major players in Monterrey, Mexico’s experimental techno scene since the late ’80s. He also has another project called Seekers Who Are Lovers (pulled from a Cocteau Twins song) where he adds his vocals to the mix.

Borges’ latest record Kraut Slut (on the Static Discos label) is a blip-and-bleep-infested journey into space that, depending on your location, can be the life of the party or ease you into a deep state of relaxation. Listen to “Milandro de Culto” on his MySpace page and you’ll see what I mean.

Joining Antiguo Autómata Mexicano will be Mexico’s Evil Hippie, a project featuring Borges’ collaborator Carlos Icaza. Aside from the great name, Evil Hippie is a more pop-influenced unit that balances its techno swirls with fun sing-along choruses. Sing along to “Ché Guevara Superstar” at Evil Hippie’s MySpace page.

Babs in joyland
The CN&R’s own Barbara Manning has been getting some press lately with the release of her box set Super Scissors. The three-disc collection features remastered versions of 1988’s Lately I Keep Scissors album and 1993’s One Perfect Green Blanket, plus a bonus disc of unreleased goodies.

It sounds terrific and has been getting some stellar reviews, including the only 10 in the latest issue of Venus Magazine (the one with Björk on the cover). Look for more reviews coming up in Spin magazine, Magnet and The Washington Post, not to mention a full-on interview in the San Francisco Examiner.

And if you’d like to get your grubby little hands on a box set, check out Manning’s performance at Café Coda, Fri., June 8. She’ll be strumming her silver-sparkle Gretsch with a couple of former Harvester dudes, Jed Brewer and Sean Harrasser, the latter now going by The Envelope Peasant.

Allow me to break it down …

Barbara Manning: Fun, beautiful pop songs that’ll leave you humming after the show (goes well with Newcastle).

Jed Brewer: Mellow country pop that’s as quirky as it is catchy (try a Guinness with this).

The Envelope Peasant: Intricate acoustic songs that may require a thesaurus to fully understand … seriously, bring one (and sip a Maker’s on the rocks).

Show starts at 7 p.m.