Gallery’s sound plan

The history of Chico reveals that its music venues tend to exist in the shadows of impending expiration dates. One needs only to consider Fulcrum Records, The Blue Room, the Burro Room and a rather lengthy list to lend the statement weight. Enter Jason Cassidy and Carla Resnick, the music committee for Chico’s 1078 Gallery, determined to ensure music is an enduring feature of the art collective, and the town itself.

“Part of the mission of the 1078 Gallery is to host musical events,” said Resnick, the gallery’s director. “It is written in the bylaws of the nonprofit organization, and I take that to mean that there must be music at the gallery for it to properly fulfill its mission.”

The 1078 Gallery began in 1981 at 1078 Humboldt Rd., hence its street-address moniker. It then moved to West 5th Street and now recently to the brick block at 820 Broadway alongside Dimensions Salon and Bustolini’s Deli.

“The arrangement is really casual,” Cassidy, CN&R’s calendar editor, said of his and Resnick’s work in planning the musical events. “Carla and I discuss the particulars, come to an agreement and then report to the [gallery’s] board before going to press.”

Having performed and toured in bands (Cowboy, The Party) since the early ‘90s, Cassidy is responsible for bringing a literal “who’s who” among influential, important underground acts to Chico, such as The Ponys, Melt Banana and Neutral Milk Hotel—as well as those above the surface, such as Modest Mouse, The Shins (then Flake Music) and Catpower.

Special events for the fall include Palais Ideal: A Festival of Adventurous, Strange and Visionary Music—an experimental music festival spanning four days in mid-October with 50-plus bands—and the Sept. 9, Joy Division cover night.

Cassidy sees consistency as an ingredient integral to the success of the gallery hosting live music.

“The cover donation will almost always be $5, with the gallery receiving 20 percent from door donations, and the artists will split 80 percent. The gallery shows will always start on time; normally doors will open at 7 p.m., and music will begin at 8,” he added. “There will always be one local band on the bill.”

The 1078 Gallery looks to treat music in the same manner that it manages the visual arts, meaning its philosophy in presentation is similar.

“The 1078’s mission is to develop ‘awareness and appreciation for contemporary and experimental works,’ “ Cassidy said. “With music, this means we’ll be the place that mostly presents the non-mainstream stuff.”

The success of the gallery as an all-ages music venue will also depend on what Cassidy cited as The Blue Room model (when the theater above Collier Hardware used to host music 10 years prior).

“We’re a nonprofit that will survive on the fact that we don’t have to turn the kind of profits that bars or cafés do. We’ll be run by volunteers, so costs will be minimal.”

Though the gallery has not hosted many music events until now, it does not place a priority on any artistic medium over the other.

“My personal experience dictates that music and visual arts are mutually beneficial,” Resnick said. “I have seen people who have been primarily interested in visual arts attend the musical offerings at the gallery and vice versa. They each enrich the person and help them expand their experience.”