Somebody’s been very, very bad

I tend to go on at length about bands, rock reviewers and impresarios in my monthly column at jambands.com, but not enough can be said about local promoter Dan DeWayne. Having conceived the idea and passed the torch of the Strawberry Music Festival, Dan’s main love these days are his California World Music Festival(s), located in Grass Valley and Chico. Do yourself a favor and get out to the fifth annual event this July 12-15 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds just east of Rough and Ready. Featuring big names from the incredible Sam Bush Band to locals Sid Lewis and his Acoustic College, this is going to be a hoot. Support Dan on his mission by logging on to www.worldmusicfestival.com. The amount of talent, domestic and abroad, that Dan has introduced to this region speaks volumes about his dedication to preserving a sense of culture and dignity in our sometimes backwater eddy.

I mean, c’mon Chico! A Fourth of July parade on June 29th? What’s next, we move Cinco De Mayo to April because it fits better? I know, I know, the parade was the “Festival of Lights” parade, which has nothing to do with the Fourth, but we all see the score. I’ll be the first to admit that the Farmers’ Market is a phenomenal success (Larry Bears drumming troupe was great) and the Friday concerts are a wide social event, but the parade sucks. People driving their cars with a few X-mas lights on them, waving a flashlight while swerving dangerously into the crowd, is not my idea of a parade.

I grew up on Macys Day Parades. I have a fair inkling of what one needs to be a parade, and DJs being towed by semis is not on the list. I admit the marching dogs were a howl, with their glow sticks sticking out of their derrières. Another interesting feature about the parade was how the Boy Scouts had tied up all the downtown lots and were charging two bones for parking. Nothing against entrepreneurs, but isn’t their motto “to be prepared,” not “to be trained for Sac Valley Amphitheater"?

Also, everyone is talking about the new Asskickers CD, word is it kicks, well, you know. And the Pub Scouts are finally releasing a collection of songs sometime in September.