Days of Lore

Springing forward, backward
My internal clock has been a little off since daylight savings kicked in a couple of weeks ago. Getting up in the morning is more difficult. On the opposite end, I find myself at work and it’ll feel like it’s 3 in the afternoon, when it’s actually 6:30 p.m., or “beer:30,” as I affectionately like to call it. And if I’m still at work at beer:30, I tend to get a little cranky, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.

The Paddy Wagon
Beer:30 started early on St. Paddy’s Day (though not for me), and by mid-afternoon the festivities looked to be in full swing. All the beautiful young people sported their green clothing, green hair, green this and green that. Jameson and Guinness sales were up. And the number of people claiming to be Irish jumped even higher.

But the best thing I saw was not the puke pile on Main Street, or the stumbling women who pinched passersby not wearing any green, but the photos in the E-R story the following day.

Right there on the front page there’s a photo of two young women having a good ol’ time with an officer’s horse (not what you think; get yer mind outta the puke pile!). It’s light-hearted and cute, and everyone (even the cop) seems to be having a gay old time. However, jump to the photo on 5A, and one of the same women who was making cute with the horse (again, not what you’re thinking) is seen barefoot, getting hauled away in cuffs after getting into a fight. I bet she got a $25 clover tattoo!

A taste of Europe
It’s official. Spring is here. The first day of spring (March 20) is followed by Good Friday … which, in Chico, is another reason to start beer:30 a little early! And it has been very spring-like here in Chico. Cool breezes. Flowers blooming. Yes, spring is a time of renewal and growth … and album-release shows.

Aubrey Debauchery and the Puke Boots got together last week at the 1078 Gallery to celebrate the release of He’s a Damn Good Liar. The band members, with the exception of upright bassist Adrian Hammons, look more like insurance salesmen than Puke Boots, but they tore it up properly on galloping, country-tinged numbers about liquor and lost love. Oh, but there was an encore. A.D. and the P.B. were joined on stage by members of Ol’ Yeller and Gorgeous Armada for a rendition of Europe’s “The Final Countdown.”

Somewhere there’s a Swedish man with a single tear running down his cheek, wondering why bands continue to do Europe covers instead of say, ABBA or Refused … or Raised Fist or The Knife …

Please, release me!
But wait there are a whole lotta album releases going on. The Shankers and Candy Apple recently released a split 7-inch. Erin Lizardo just released an EP with new material.

And Buffalo Creek (remember them? Of course you do!) vocalist Bryn Loosley is about to drop his first solo record. The Chico-gone-Portlander will perform at his old stomping ground LaSalles Friday, March 21, with his old stomping band Buffalo Creek to celebrate the release of The Wrecker.

Expect a big breezy, country pop love affair with a load of talent. The album features a who’s who of performers including Buff-Crik bandmate Nick Bearden, the Mother Hips’ Tim Bluhm, Sacto roots rocker Jackie Greene and local singer-songwriter Marquesa Versola. Damn, does this guy have some connections or what?

Loosley will appear on KZFR’s Chico Butter Saturday, March 22, at 2 p.m., as well as perform that night at Café Coda, with Bearden, Versola and former Chingus guitarist Mark Gonzalez. Show starts at 8 p.m.

And finally, an album-release show for a band that’s not a band anymore (R.I.P.). Dirty Sister will perform one last time (ya never know!) Friday, March 28, at Monstros Pizza, and also release their self-titled full-length on stylish red vinyl. No stinkin’ CDs for this rock band!

Joey Tempest is my hero