Days of Lore

PULLED OUT THE CAMMIE AND AIMED IT AT THE SKY As the Arts Editor … err … one of the last editors at the Chico News & Review, I guess it’s my duty to shamelessly plug our upcoming Cammies showcases. But I’m not doing it out of sheer obligation; I’m actually pretty excited.

For those who don’t know, The Cammies (Chico Area Music Awards) is modeled after The Sammies, which has been put on for years by our sister paper in Sacramento. It’s something we’ve wanted to do here in Chico for quite some time and when we were finally approached a few months ago, we took the opportunity and ran with it.

Here’s the deal: We compiled a master list of every band in Chico—some 200 bands—and divided them into categories, which can be a pain in the ass if you try to overanalyze it—hmmm … Cair Paravel … rock or indie/experimental? But we finally got the ballot dialed in, and actually gave our committee of 48 local musicians, promoters, journalists and show-goers the option of nominating bands in different categories if they thought we were out of our minds (someone even had the good sense to vote for Deerpen in the hard rock/metal category … yeeesh).

So what we’re left with is five bands apiece in 12 categories, everything from Rock and Jazz to Rap/Hip-Hop and World/Celtic/Reggae. And I must say our savvy committee did a great job of narrowing it down. To see which bands are in the running check out our MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/thecammies.

LIVE AT BUDOKAN … SORT OF But The Cammies isn’t just a vote-for-your-favorite-band-type contest; there’s also some serious live music going down next month. Throughout April, we’ll be hosting showcases for each category at local venues like Off Limits, 33 Steak Booze & Jazz and LaSalles. And each week the CN&R will publish supplements with artist bios in advance of each showcase so y’all can get a little familiar with some of the artists. All of this leads up to The Cammies award ceremony to be held at The Senator Theatre May 6, featuring performances from one of the nominees in each category. And the possibility of Gruk, MC Oroville, Pub Scouts and West By Swan maybe playing the same stage in one night? Even if you’re not into the aforementioned artists—it still sounds like a hell of a good time.

Oh yeah … the public online ballot will open up March 30 at www.newsreview.com/CAMMIES.

FILE UNDER “W” FOR WTF? Where to begin … there’s some crazy shit going on here at the CN&R. First Editor Tom Gascoyne leaves, then Associate Editor Devanie Angel, then News Editor Josh Indar. Wow.

I mean, Jason Cassidy and I are still here, and the back half of the paper will be unmarred by the events of the past two weeks, but there are huge shoes that need filling.

Tom and Devanie are about as juiced in to this community as anyone in town. And Josh is one of the best writers I know (and an OK drummer). I’ve learned a lot from all of them. And as people, what can I say? They made coming to work fun. Things aren’t going to be the same around here, that’s for sure. Oh who am I kidding, all three of them are easily replaceable!

So, if you’re wondering why things happened the way they did, I’ll tell you.

Onward and upward!