Who to watch … and see
We’ve done it again—picked six Chico bands to keep an eye on in the coming year
The sound of Chico is ever-shifting, a state of constant flux. Bands are born in garages and classrooms and after putting in the work—writing songs, practicing, slapping up flyers—it’s only a matter of time before they’re on stage at local venues like Off Limits and the Crux. Some bands die with the coming of graduation, careers and life in general, while others manage to quietly chug along for years.
Whatever the case, Chico always has a solid pool of artists at any given time. It’s in that spirit that we dedicate this space to six local acts we feel deserve some attention.
Last year we directed the spotlight on a variety of acts crossing different genres. The raw metal power of The Makai shared the pages with dynamic noise duo The Americas and local hip-hop trio The Hooliganz. Ever-popular singer-songwriter Aubrey Debauchery also made the list, along with experimental soundscapers La Fin du Monde and the hyper pop of Cair Paravel.
This year we’ve dug a little deeper and assembled a new batch of familiar and not-so-familiar faces.
Some hide in the shadows. The faceless members of Nothing People let their psychedelic garage rock speak for itself, while singer-songwriter Dylan Seid and Anti-Records artist Danny Cohen venture out only for the occasional performance.
Others—like indie rock four-piece Arrangement Ghost and new metal outfit Armed For Apocalypse—are made up of familiar faces who have logged some serious time in bands in and out of Chico, while The Secret Stolen is just getting started on its musical journey.
It wasn’t easy carving the list down to the following six, but in the end, we feel these are some musicians who you should keep an eye on over the next 12 months.
Secret Stolen
Armed For Apocalypse
Lucky Losers
Danny Cohen
Nothing People
Arrangement Ghost
Cover story sidebar - A look at what last year’s watch-worthy acts are up to
