CHICO’S FREE

NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT

WEEKLY
VOLUME 42, ISSUE 26
THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 21, 2019
WWW.NEWSREVIEW.COM

Weird
CHICO

4
RYAN ADAMS
SUCKS

8 34
MECHOOPDA REFUGEE
MUSEUM SONG
Weird
Chico
The wide-open
creative spirit of our
funky little city
T his issue marks the sixth year
that the Chico News & Review
has officially been celebrat-
ing the weird side of Chico, and it’s
refreshing to see that our little Nor
Cal outpost has lost none of its freaky
charm. In fact, we might be keeping
Chico weirder than ever.
The Blue Room Theatre has been at
So many
the forefront of bringing challenging
works to local audiences, and in our
first story in this package, we look at
how the downtown staple has stuck
crazy
with its mission for 25 years. Over at
Chico State, the Music and Theatre
Department is once again showcasing
I
experimental music at its annual New
stories
Music Symposium by bringing to town
minimalist pioneer Terry Riley—one of
the most influential composers of the
last century—to town. We also have
features on long-running local belly
dance fusion duo BellySutra, as well
as a brand-new purveyor of weird
art, the trippy noisemakers calling
After 25 years,
Blue Room Theatre
themselves Guest No. 66.
And last, the CN&R and 1078
continues to be
Gallery are presenting the annual
Keep Chico Art Show (no talent show
this year; hopefully back in 2020) next a vital part
of Chico
week, Feb. 28-March 3. Come get
weird with us.
18 CN&R FEBRUARY 21, 2019
Hilary Tellesen and Louis Fuentes in Bug (Feb. 2018).
PHOTO BY JOE HILSEE
t’s easy to undervalue the out-of-sight black-
box theater tucked away in the top story of
the Collier Hardware building. But from the
first opening night on April 28, 1994 (of co-
founder Denver Latimer’s daring original work,
Soup or Salad) to the recently closed Hand to
God (starring a foul-mouthed puppet terrorizing
folks in a church basement), the Blue Room
Theatre has created a tradition of presenting
challenging, thought-provoking art to our little
rural oasis.
Now, on the cusp of its 25th anniversary,
the theater seems to have rounded a corner.
Though the Blue Room has enjoyed many
different eras of artistic success since its
backyard avant-garde beginnings, over the
last four years, a committed core of seasoned
theater vets has reorganized and refocused the
theater, adding some stability to the adventur-
ous spirit in order to continue telling all of
those crazy stories.
The path to resurgence has been a cir- Chavira and local actor/director/playwright quality to the product, which has to be in Joe Hilsee (center) in The Walworth Farce.
cuitous one. Hillary Tellesen working together to curate place in order to build a consistent audience PHOTO BY ALEX HILSEE
In 2007, after seven years on the job, the the plays. base.”
Blue Room board let Joe Hilsee go as the “We were just able to get a good group Things have been markedly more con- comedy with an absurdly fractured chro-
theater’s artistic director. The company at of people,” said Miller, who added that the sistent, with well-promoted and -balanced nology,” Good With Faces, in 2017.
the time—which included his wife, Amber combination of experience and a shared seasons of contemporary plays, modern “We purposefully try to give the audi-
Miller (who had been at the theater since passion between her, the committee and the- classics and locally created works. The ence something that they didn’t even know
existed,” Hilsee explained. “When an
1997)—followed in protest. The Rogue ater’s board of directors has made it work. highlights have been many, but some of
Theatre troupe that they formed soon after “It takes a community to have a community the CN&R’s most favorably reviewed Blue audience member walks up the stairs, they
made a go of things by putting on high- theater.” Room productions over the last four should have no idea what to expect.”
quality productions at various locations—an “The first thing ... was to take seasons include last fall’s dark “We like to also look at past works that
were challenging to their time,” Miller
art gallery, a warehouse, even a couple of the production aspect away from comedy The Walworth Farce Farce,
co-productions at the Blue Room—before the director to allow that person by Irish playwright Enda added. In 2018, the schedule featured
winding down in 2014. to focus on what was going Walsh; Tracy Letts’ BugBug, an a handful of older works—including
During that time, fun and funky works on onstage,” said Hilsee. “If exploration of the “darker David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
continued happening at the Blue Room, with the director is making the elements of the 21st and Tennessee Williams’ The Glass
a wide range of musicals, classic and modern poster, and designing the set, century American zeit- Menagerie—that contained themes that,
for better or worse, remain relevant.
comedies and dramas, and spirited doses of and recording the sound geist”; and Tellesen’s
late-night fare coming through in the first effects, and making the original “post- “But it really boils down to respect,”
few years. Around 2012, however, the con- Facebook invite, then modern self- Hilsee said. “Respect the theater artists by
sistency of productions started to vary as a something was going referential giving them a chance to do something chal-
lenging and meaningful to work on, and
rotating cast of leaders came and went. to get overlooked.
When local theater vets Steve Swim This also helped respect the audience by always assuming
and Martin Chavira got on the board of instill a consistent they are cooler and smarter than you are.”
directors, Hilsee said they approached him Before the Camp Fire hit, things were
and Amber about coming back and getting looking up at the box office as well. “We
things in order. were doing really well, [then] November hit
us really hard,” said Miller, who is hope-
“It had kind of become a place where
ful things will turn around in the new year.
individual directors would
do what they wanted on
their own with their own
Next on the boards:
With such devoted caretakers at the helm,
there’s reason to be hopeful.
Live Word!
people,” Hilsee said. “It (collaboration with
The conservative number of shows the
was becoming more of a North State Writers) Blue Room has produced over the past
performing arts building Saturday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m. 25 years is 288. As Hilsee points out with
rather than having its own Sunday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m. regard to the hundreds of backdrops that
The Almond Orchard have cycled through the space: “The paint
artistic personality.”
In 2015, Miller was
(local adaptation of Anton
Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard)
on the back wall is pretty damn thick.”
hired as the managing
March 14-30 —JASON CASSIDY
director, and an Artistic Blue Room Theatre jasonc@new srev iew. com
Direction Committee was
139 W. First St.
Blue Room Theatre Managing
formed, featuring Hilsee, 895-3749
Director Amber Miller.
blueroomtheatre.com
PHOTO BY JASON CASSIDY
MORE WEIRD C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 0
FEBRUARY 21, 2019 CN&R 19
 BellySutra (from left): Megan Love and Selina Lynn.

T
erry Riley’s groundbreaking composition “In C” was
released in 1964, at the dawn of the British Invasion,
and at a time when singles like The Supremes’ “Baby
Love” and The Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” had teen-
agers’ hearts aflutter at dances across the country.
Even to this day, it’s hard to wrap one’s head around
what Riley created more than half a century ago.
PHOTO BY NATASHA ROOT
“I can’t imagine not meeting him; it was
destined to be,” Riley said matter-of-factly. “I’d
heard Pandit Pran Nath’s music in the late-’60s,
and was very moved by it, but I didn’t really
understand what it was about, or why I was
moved. And it was like a big mystery that I felt
I had to solve in my own music. I had to under-
stand it before I could progress further with my
own compositions.”
Riley would end up teaching at Mills College
in Oakland years later, and always included

“In C” is made up of 53 modules, or pieces of
melodies and musical loops assigned to different
players, that, when played as written—or sped up or
slowed, or even with parts omitted—over and over
Goddesses
aspects of Indian classical music in his courses.
While music has taken Riley to all parts of the
world, he’s spent a good portion of his life in
Northern California, where he still resides. His
early years were spent in Redding, at a time
when the city had only one high school, and

begin to create a sort of kaleidoscope of sound. The
length of the performance dictates which sounds
emerge.
Riley, now 83, has quietly made a massive impact
on popular music with his experiments. That particu-
lar pioneering piece of minimalist music influenced
numerous artists—Soft Machine, Mike Oldfield and
Tangerine Dream, to name a few—and most notably
inspired the intro for The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”
“In C”—written by Riley in one night—was first
performed in San Francisco by outsider compos-
ers and Riley collaborators Steve Reich, Pauline
Oliveros, Jon Gibson and Morton Subotnick, and has
of dance
he attended Shasta College and studied with
renowned pianist Duane Hampton (who later
set up the Duane Hampton School of Music in
Redding).
Known primarily as a solo artist, Riley’s
collaborations over the years are noteworthy to
say the least. He’s had a long-lasting musical
relationship with the members of the Kronos
BellySutra duo embraces creativity
Quartet, whom he met at Mills College in the
late-’70s. Riley also worked with John Cale on
1971’s psychedelic journey Church of Anthrax, through belly dance fu
and collaborated with jazz swashbuckler Don sion
Cherry, whom Riley introduced to Indian classi-

In the key
been interpreted countless times since. cal music, and reflects on fondly.
“It’s played a lot—I mean, once a day somewhere “It was not as intense as my collaboration

B
in the world,” Riley said from his Yuba County with John Cale,” Riley said of his time with elly dancers Selina Lynn and Megan Love have performed as Keep Chico Weird talent show, earning high marks for impressive
home. “What I like about it is that it does have this Cherry. “It was more relaxed and flowing. What mermaids, bulls and circus freaks. They’ve shimmied and displays of skill and theatrics as Lynn and Love synchronized their
flexibility, and it can surprise me at times when peo- I liked about Don Cherry is he was kind of a shaken their hips with the lights out, decked out in glow-in- routines with video effects projected on a large movie screen.

of c hange
ple come up with novel ideas on how to perform it.”
Riley will perform the famous piece alongside
some 35 or 40 Chico State students and faculty mem-
bers—under the direction of Department of Music
and Theatre faculty member David Dvorin—next
Thursday (Feb. 28) to open the annual New Music
Seminar at the university.
While “In C” is arguably Riley’s best-known
piece, his work and contributions to music go far
Minimalist pioneer beyond that. His 1969 album A Rainbow in Curved
Air was light years ahead of its time, a synth-and-
minstrel—he’d always be playing music in the
street. If you’d be talking and walking down the
street, he’d have his flute out, playing away.”
Riley still loves collaborating. He’ll be play-
ing with Grammy-winning pianist Gloria Cheng
for a second New Music Symposium perfor-
mance on March 1. But his main musical partner
over the last 20 years has been his son and gui-
tarist Gyan (they will tour Europe this summer).
The partnership has been the right thing at the
right time for the elder Riley, one that satisfies
the-dark paint, and have danced as wolves in headdresses, Lynn says she’s been captivated by belly dancing for as long
sacrificing the blood of their hunters by symbolically pouring it on as she can remember. During one fateful visit to Busch Gardens
themselves during a tribal prayer routine. when she was a kid, she recalled seeing a show featuring “this
The two, known collectively as BellySutra, have found that beautiful lady on stage with a giant snake.”
their imaginations, however wild and weird, have been whole- “She was getting paid to dance,” she said. “I was determined
heartedly embraced in Chico. to figure out, ‘How can I do that?’” Lynn started taking classes at
“We can do anything,” Lynn said during a recent interview at 19, commuting from her Gridley home to Sacramento.
BellySutra’s Dangerous Hips dance studio. “We have had blood, As for Love, dancing was essentially the only thing she hadn’t
and people are like, ‘Give me more blood.’ I love that. … They let explored as a performer. She’d played piano, sang and acted,
us be our crazy selves, and they like it. Instead of being scared, then started dancing with Lynn, whom she’d met through a mutu-

Terry Riley tape-loop sci-fi journey that provided a road map for
his creative and paternal instincts.
all ambient and electronic albums that followed.
brings his “In C” and Rainbow were released on a
major label at time when America was
tional rapport in our concerts,” he explained.
signature
“It’s been a great thing for me in my old age to
socially and chemically transforming.
have this new path to explore.”
If you think psychedelics played a big
composition part in Riley’s music, you’d be right.
“It had a big impact on the way
to Chico State I conceived a musical form,” Riley
said. “It took me into details of
music that I hadn’t seen before.
It blew things up, like a big mag-
nifying glass. That’s one of the
things that ‘In C’ does—patterns
change gradually over a long peri-
od of time. You couldn’t accom-
plish this any other way.”
The biggest influence on Riley’s
music was meeting Indian classical
singer Pandit Pran Nath in New York in
Terry Riley
1970 through a mutual friend.
PHOTO BY CHRIS FELVER (COURTESY OF SRO ARTISTS INC.)
they’re like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome!’” al friend while they were living in Yuba City. The two clicked, and
Since forming BellySutra in 2009, Lynn and Love have drawn now, 10 years after forming BellySutra, they’ve added a dance
“We’ve developed this kind of improvisa-
inspiration for their “belly dance fusion” routines from a variety
of performing styles, combining tango, hip-hop and other forms
studio to their partnership. Dangerous Hips opened last March,
and in addition to teaching beginner and intermediate belly dance,
of dance with belly dance to contribute to an ever-changing and they’re also renting out the space to other local belly dancers for
engaging art form. practices and classes.
—MARK LORE
“Belly dance is always there, but we add all these crazy ele- The pair acknowledged that belly dancing can be intimidating
ments,” Lynn said. “It could be characters; it could be gestures, for beginners, but it’s a very open and welcoming art form, Love
body language.” said. There are no limits or restrictions with regards to age, size
The two also have performed with flaming or gender.
swords balanced atop their heads, and dreamed Live hips: Lynn said that people often are surprised what their
Live new music: up elegant fan veil dances. The latter involves BellySutra performs Spirit bodies can do, adding, “Plus, getting to be free and
Chico State’s New Music Symposium: Feb. 28-March 1
No cover (seating limited) handheld fans trailed by several feet of silk. Animal Saturday, move how your body moves—that’s, like, really great.”
March 9, at 8 p.m. All
Feb. 28, 7 p.m.: “In C,” with Terry Riley and Chico In addition to performing at private parties, ages until 10 p.m. No “Empowering,” Love interjected.
State student ensemble BellySutra and its student troupes share their cover. At the DownLo “Belly dancing really gives people lots of confidence.
Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall love of belly dance in shows throughout Chico, (319 Main St.) It makes you feel beautiful, it makes you just feel good
March 1, 3 p.m.: Terry Riley and Gloria Cheng regularly performing at the DownLo as well as about yourself,” Lynn said. “Belly dancing makes you
Shake yours:
“In Conversation” at the LaRocca Vineyards Tasting Room every Dangerous Hips forever a goddess, I tell you.”
Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall
second Thursday when the downtown Thursday dance studio
March 1, 7:30 p.m.: Terry Riley and Grammy Award 220 W. Sixth St. Visit —ASHIAH SCHARAGA
winner Gloria Cheng perform composed and Night Market is in season. The duo also has per- bellysutrarocks.com for ashiahs@new srev iew. com
improvised piano works. formed every year at the Chico News & Review’s class prices and times.
Zingg Recital Hall
MORE WEIRD C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 2

20 CN&R FEBRUARY 21, 2019 FEBRUARY 21, 2019 CN&R 21


Sonic
kicks
T
iny computer speakers are no match for
the charisma of Bob Howard’s singu-
lar voice. In fact, such thin sonic range
might contribute to the rueful, nostalgic
vibe when he sings: “I fell in love with
your voice on the radio …. All those lonely
nights, music saved my life a time or two.”
It’s a sentiment that perfectly comple-
ments the sound of winter rain on this
writer’s roof, but the sound of the music
on “Where Have All the DJ’s Gone?” by
Howard’s latest Chico band, Guest No. 66,
probably doesn’t match what you’re think-
ing. It’s actually an uptempo piece, with a
locomotive snare pushing the action, while a
soft-stepping bassline and Howard’s croak-
ing talk-singing provide a spooky contrast to
the bright energy.
It’s weird as hell, but it’s not even the
weirdest song on the Guest No. 66 debut
22 CN&R FEBRUARY 21, 2019
Get lost in the trippy soundscapes of Guest No. 66
three-song demo, Radioland. The newly
born band made up of Chico music vets is
offering something completely different to
the scene, which is exactly its intention.
plays guitar in Empty Gate) as the self-
described “delegating dictator,” the band is
rounded out by accordionist/bassist Bryce
Goldstein and local drumming legend Steve
“It’s really exciting for me personally,” Bragg (formerly of Vomit Launch and co-
said Ken Smith, local ukulele player for conspirator with Howard in The Asskickers,
much-loved local bands the Michelin Embers Vesuvians, etc.) playing a bizarre cymbal-
and Hallelujah Junction (and former CN&R free drumkit made from converted beer kegs.
staff writer) who is spreading his musical In a backyard studio in the nether regions
wings extra wide for this new project, incor- of the Barber neighborhood, this reporter had
porating all manner of noise-makers, includ- a chance to be a fly on the wall at a rehearsal
ing loop pedals, a Theremin, oscillator, chord of this new creative conglomeration.
organ and more. Upon arrival, the group was ensconced
“I get to try things I’ve always wanted at the private bar next to the studio watching
to try. In my other bands, I show up with a some sort of stripper-themed music-video-
uke and I’m ready to go, but in awards show, which segued
this band I’m trying to manifest into a BBC presentation of
the shit I hear in my head with Be their guests: championship darts, which pro-
a bunch of weird instruments Feb. 22, 9 p.m., at Downtown voked a conversation about the
and second-hand electronics. Ale House (Red Bluff) with mathematical intricacies of darts-
Dead Bird Son.
It’s fun and challenging. I even March 29, 8 p.m., at The scoring ending with Bragg’s
need to learn to solder.” Maltese with Preening and conclusion that “Darts should
With Howard (who also Beehive. be taught in grammar school.
sings for The Vesuvians and It teaches math, and hand-eye
Listen to the Radioland demo
at guestno66.bandcamp.com.
Guest No. 66 (from
left): Ken Smith, Steve
Bragg, Bob Howard and
Bryce Goldstein.
PHOTOS BY SESAR SANCHEZ
coordination, and it’s got you throwing sharp
objects at a target. Kids would love it.”
At rehearsal, the band settled into the
expansive, evocative sound that marks the
bulk of its repertoire. A tune called “FBI”
shimmered into existence riding waves
emanating from Smith’s array of electronic
toys. And as Howard’s spacey guitar chords
meshed with a fluid bass line and muted
snare-and-tom beat, a sample of police scan-
ner chatter from Smith’s corner created an
element of narrative tension. And like a
confectioner adding a finishing touch, Smith
sprinkled chiming autoharp across the top.
Having been performing for only a few
months, Guest No. 66 still has more live
theatrical components it’d like to add to the
band’s soundtrack sound.
“We want it to be more than just a band,”
Smith said, “and to experiment with build-
ing different narratives with each set, and for
it to be open to incorporating art, film and
other media as we progress.”
—CAREY WILSON
Arts &Culture
Killing
‘ things’
Shadow boxes filled
with beautiful death
Imost
f Zak Elstein is right, the future on
this planet doesn’t look bright for
humans. Thanks to our overcon-
sumption and unsustainable growth,
there will be a tipping point and Earth
ultimately will win the battle. “She’ll
shift a few gears, change a couple of
settings, and humanity will no longer
find this a comfortable place to be.”
That’s how he puts it in the artist
statement for his current Shadow Box
Exhibit on the walls at the Winchester
Goose through March 23. It’s for the
humans who survive Earth’s reset that
he’s made these shadow boxes filled
with animal bones, dead flowers and
various bits of rusted detritus.
story and
“I wonder what
will have meaning
photos by for them in a world
Jason Cassidy that has rejected
jasonc @ their kind.”
n ewsrev iew.c om That’s a heavy
notion to consider,
Review: yet proves to be a
Zak Elstein’s Shadow
Box Exhibit shows
unique and enjoy-
through March 23. able exercise while
Closing reception touring the exhibit
March 23, 6 p.m. and nursing a snif-
ter of potent craft
Winchester Goose
800 Broadway beer.
895-1350 Each shadow
thewinchestergoose.com box is constructed
with unfinished
wood and contains
a delicately arranged scene behind
glass, and the scenes inside are further
affected by battery-powered colored
lights. The viewer is welcome to oper-
ate the three-way switch(es) on the
front of the box—with at least two
lighting options available on each
piece—and alter the mood with differ-
ent colors, light patterns and shifting
shadows.
Like shrines featuring relics of
mysterious creatures, the boxes are
darkly beautiful.
In one, a small animal skull is sus-
pended from a branch with a clutch of
24 CN&R FEBRUARY 21, 2019
feathers dangling beneath an
overgrown forest of dead star
thistle on both sides. When
the pink light comes on, dark
shapes in the background
transform into wings for
the skull creature, but when
switched to the red light, the
shapes shift into a spooky
mountain range.
In another, against the
glow of a fiery orange sky
and surrounded by dry
shrubs filled with thorns, is
a bird skull fused to a rust-
covered piece of metal on
one side opposite a tree con-
taining various rusted metal
bits and what looks like a
bird’s femur. It looks like the
aftermath of a deadly con-
frontation in the dry desert of
the Old West.
By terrible coincidence,
Elstein has recently found
himself in a position
to ponder meaning in a
world upended by climate-
change-enhanced disaster.
He lost his Concow home
in the Camp Fire, and some
of the only things that sur-
vived are a dozen or so of
the shadow boxes in his
show. The morning of the
fire, he scrambled to grab the pieces
he’d been working on and he says
by the time he’d packed them, his
property was on fire. Had he known
how close the flames were, he said
he wouldn’t have started with the
art.
When asked about the parallels
between his own life and the post-
disaster scenario laid out in the show’s
artist statement, Elstein answered via
email: “I hadn’t really thought about
it that way before. But the version
of myself I was able to recollect has
largely been based on the things I took
from the fire. Whereas the parts of me
that were represented by the things I
lost seem strange and distant.”
There are a few items salvaged
from his Concow property that made
it into these shadow boxes, including
some bird wings in one that have been
arranged in a bouquet and surrounded
by dry white flowers all bathed in a
cool blue light. Elstein says he lost a
couple cats in the fire, and this piece
appears to be an homage. “My favor-
ite was an absolute terror. I hope that
those wings are the evidence that he
made it, and is still out there killing
things.”
PAT HULL &
HANNAH JANE KILE
Saturday, Feb. 23
FINE ARTS ON NEXT PAGE
Two of Zak Elstein’s Harlen Adams Theatre
unnamed shadow
boxes.
SEE SATURDAY, MUSIC Camp Fire. Sat 2/23, 12pm. $25. Sierra Steel
Harley-Davidson, 1501 Mangrove Ave.
Theater
THE ADDAMS FAMILY: See Friday. Sat, 2/23,
RIPE OLIVE DAY: Celebrate seventh Annual Ripe 7pm. $10-$20. CUSD Center for the Arts, 1475
Olive Day! Buffet at noon—everything made East Ave. inspirecusd.org
with olives. Tours of the Ehmann Home will
be available. Sat 2/23, 11:30am. Ehmann LIVEWORD: Catch this first-ever collaboration
Home, 1480 Lincoln St., Oroville. buttecounty- between the North State Writers and Chico’s
historicalsociety.org Blue Room Theatre. Twelve local authors will
offer up a mix of short fiction, poetry and
essays that will be read and interpreted
Music by the actors of the Blue Room. Sat, 2/23,
7:30pm. $10. Blue Room Theatre, 139 W. First
KATE BARRETT & ETHAN SWEET: Dynamic duo per-
forms for brunch. Sat, 2/23, 11am. La Salles,
St. 877-5734.
229 Broadway St. lasalleschico.com MAMMA MIA!: See Thursday. Sat, 2/23,
THIS
7:30pm. $16-$22. Chico Theater Company, 166
NORTH STATE SYMPHONY, SOLOISTIC SENSATIONS: Eaton Road, Ste. F. chicotheatercompany.
Be inspired by the soaring melodies in com
Theater Ashely from the TV series Ink Master. Fri- MAMMA MIA!: See Thursday. Fri, 2/22,
Sun, 2/22-2/24. Free. Feather Falls Casino & 7:30pm. $16-$22. Chico Theater Company,
Rimsky-Korsakov’s rhythmically energized
WEEK
Capriccio Espagnol, then explore Nabucco, RADIOLAND’S RETURN TO PARADISE: See
MAMMA MIA!: Bride-to-be Sophie wants nothing Lodge, 3 Alverda Drive, Oroville. 166 Eaton Road, Ste. F. chicotheater
one of Verdi’s most famous opera overtures. Thursday. Sat, 2/23, 7:30pm. $16-$20.
more than to have her father at her wed-
ding, but she has no idea which of mom’s LOCAL NURSERY CRAWL: Connect with local
company.com
Along the way, experience Liszt’s popular Theatre on the Ridge, 3735 Neal Road,
three former boyfriends might be the guy. plant nurseries, discover amazing plants, RADIOLAND’S RETURN TO PARADISE: See Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, originally written
for solo piano. This concert also showcases
Paradise. totr.org
So Sophie invites them all to the festivities garden supplies, decor, and resources each Thursday. Fri, 2/22, 7:30pm. $16-$20. Theatre
24
the winners of the Young Artist Auditions.
at her mother’s Greek isle taverna, and nursery has to offer. Each local nursery on the Ridge, 3735 Neal Road, Paradise.
mayhem ensues. The show’s tale of endur- has a different focus and passion and can totr.org
Pre-concert talk with conductor Scott
21 SUN
Seaton at 6:30pm. Sat, 2/23, 7:30pm. $18-$40.
ing love and friendship features beloved hit help you design your dream garden and
Laxson Auditorium, Chico State.
23
songs by ABBA. Thu, 2/21, 7:30pm. $16-$22. landscape. Visit the website for complete
THU
northstatesymphony.org
Chico Theater Company, 166 Eaton Road, Ste. details. Fri, 2/22, 9am. Ten Nurseries.
SAT
F. chicotheatercompany.com LocalNurseryCrawl.com
PAT HULL & HANNAH JANE KILE: Two up-and- Special Events
RADIOLAND’S RETURN TO PARADISE: A miracle coming singer-songwriters, Pat Hull and
Special Events among the near total devastation of the Music Hannah Jane Kile, are teaming up to deliver ALMOND BLOSSOM RUN: Run a 5k or 10k
through the orchards to support Durham
BUTTE COUNTY NAMI ON LAURA’S LAW: Randall Hagar, director Camp Fire, TOTR remains! Their season kicks
off with special edition of the ever-popular ALEX & BEN MORRISON: The brothers from the
Special Events an evening of soulful and poetic songs as
part of Chico Performances’ Chico Voices sports. Sun, 2/24, 9am. $40. Durham High
of governmental affairs for the California Psychiatric School, 9455 Putney Drive, Durham.
Association, discusses the benefits of Laura’s Law. Thu, Radioland. Celebrate hopes and dreams of Brothers Comatose tear one up in this BIRDS OF BIDWELL HIKE: Enjoy the crisp morn- series. Drawing on folk and country influ-
ences, these indie artists sing about their durhamsportsboosters.com
partial benefit for Camp Fire survivors. The ing air and fantastic birding. Bring your
2/21, 6:30pm. First Christian Church, 295 E. Washington Paradise with this musical love letter to the
city. Thu, 2/21, 7:30pm. $16-$20. Theatre on always excellent Hannah Jane Kile opens binoculars and be prepared to learn a little experiences of love, despondent times, and
Ave.
the Ridge, 3735 Neal Road, Paradise. totr.org the show. Fri, 2/22, 7:30pm. $15-$20. Chico about bird behavior, how to identify birds by other realities of the human spirit. Sat, 2/23,
sight and sound, and the impact of humanity 7:30pm. $15-$18. Harlen Adams Theatre,
GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD: Visiting photographer and artist Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St. kzfr.org
on California’s bird populations. Sat 2/23, Chico State, PAC 144. 898-6333. chicoperform
22
discusses race, femininity, class, and their various
intersections. Thu, 2/21, 5:30pm. Performing Arts
9:30am. Indian Fishery, 12161 River Road. ances.com
Theater
Center, Room 134, Chico State. genevievegaignard.com
WHOSE STREETS?: An unflinching look at the Ferguso upris-
FRI THE ADDAMS FAMILY: Just try saying the words
CFOL BOOK SALE: Chico Friends of the Library
weekly book sale. Sat 2/23, 9am. Chico
THIS WEEK CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
ing. As the National Guard rolls in, a new generation
“Addams Family” without breaking into its Branch Library, 1108 Sherman Ave.
mounts a powerful battle cry not just for their civil Special Events snappy theme song. Enjoy the demented
adventures of this wickedly witty family with
buttecounty.net
EDITOR’S PICK
rights, but for the right to live. Official Selection, 2017
Sundance Film Festival. Thu, 2/21, 7pm. Free. Ayers 106,
FEATHER FALLS CASINO TATTOO EXPO: Massive Inspire School of Arts & Sciences’ production HARLAND WILLIAMS: Comedian and actor known
three-day tattoo event featuring artists of the raucous musical comedy. Fri, 2/22, for his hilarious movie roles and outland-
Chico State.
from throughout the state, live tattooing, 7pm. $10-$20. CUSD Center for the Arts, 1475 ish stand up and sketch comedy routines.
contests, music, art and beer, plus Ryan East Ave. inspirecusd.org A sharp, witty comic, he’s appeared on
Music Letterman, The Tonight Show, Conan O’Brian,
HBO, Comedy Central and everywhere
CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD: Ex-Black Crowes frontman else. Sat 2/23, 7:30pm. $25-$35. El Rey
merges blues rock energy with jamband vibes. Thu, Theater, 230 W. Second St.
2/21, 8pm. $25.
El Rey Theater, 230 W. Second St. MASTERWORKS 3: INTRODUCTION TO BRYOPHYTES: This two-day
SOLOISTIC SENSATIONS
workshop will include lectures, a field trip,
and plenty of hands-on microscope work to
Saturday, Feb. 23 help you learn features important for bryo-
Laxson Auditorium phyte identification. Sat 2/23. $110-$230.
GENEVIEVE SEE SATURDAY, MUSIC
Friends of the Chico State Herbarium, Holt
Hall, room 129, Chico State. friendsofthe
GAIGNARD chicostateherbarium.com
Tonight, Feb. 21
LOCAL NURSERY CRAWL: See Friday. Sat 2/23,
Chico State 9am. Ten Nurseries. LocalNurseryCrawl.com
SEE THURSDAY, SPECIAL EVENTS
NICK SWARDSON: “A hand job is still a job!”
Stand-up show is sold out! Sat 2/23,
8pm. Gold Country Casino & Hotel, 4020 Olive
Highway, Oroville.
SEVEN-MINUTE ABS
RIBS FOR THE RIDGE: Active 20-30 Club of Chico
and Chico BBQ Enthusiasts host this rib
cook-off with an Anchor Brewing beer
garden, raffle and more. All proceeds will
be going to support the survivors of the
If you missed out on tickets to Nick Swardson, have no fear. Harland Williams
is bringing his own brand of unpredictable, hilarious stand-up to the El Rey
Theater the same night (Saturday, Feb. 23). His roles in classic comedies
FREE LISTINGS! like Dumb and Dumber and Something About Mary may have given him a
Post your event for free online at www.
name, but the man also writes short stories and children’s books, has his
newsreview.com/calendar, or email the CN&R own podcast, and plays in a band called Cousins with his cousin. Known for
calendar editor at cnrcalendar@newsreview.com. his off-the-cuff stand-up style, creative facial hair, and interaction with the
Deadline for print listings is Wednesday, 5 p.m.,
Ω one week prior to the issue in which you wish the
audience, Williams likely will be hanging out at the merch table after his set if
listing to appear.
you want to say “Hi.”
FEBRUARY 21, 2019 CN&R 25
 THIS WEEK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
ANTIQUE APPRAISAL FUNDRAISER: That busted
up chair in your garage could be worth
thousands. but it’s probably not. Bring
in all your cool, old stuff to this appraisal
fundraiser for the American Association of
University Women. They’ll use the proceeds
to send eight-grade girls to tech camp at UC
Davis. Sun, 2/24, 11am. Chico Women’s Club,
592 E. Third St. 891-3489.
CHICO READS: Read Across America event
includes stories, crafts, games, special
guests, a photo booth, snack, comics and, of
course, books! Sun, 2/24. Free. CARD Center,
545 Vallombrosa Ave.
THE COMEDY ROAST OF MIKE G RIDE: Mike G Ride
gets roasted on stage while you point and
laugh ... What an honor! All the proceeds
go to survivors of the Camp Fire via the
North Valley Community Foundation. Sun,
2/24, 7pm. $15. Chico Women’s Club, 592 E.
Third St.
Music
THE BIDWELLS: Good-time music for
brunch. Sun, 2/24, 11am. Tender Loving
Coffee, 365 E. Sixth St.
Theater
THE ADDAMS FAMILY: See Friday. Sun, 2/24,
2pm. $10-$20. CUSD Center for the Arts, 1475
East Ave. inspirecusd.org
LIVEWORD: See Saturday. Sun, 2/24, 2pm. $10.
Blue Room Theatre, 139 W. First St. 877-5734.
MAMMA MIA!: See Thursday. Sun, 2/24,
2pm. $16-$22. Chico Theater Company, 166
Eaton Road, Ste. F. chicotheatercompany.
com
RADIOLAND’S RETURN TO PARADISE: See
Thursday. Sun, 2/24, 2pm. $16-$20. Theatre
on the Ridge, 3735 Neal Road, Paradise.
totr.org
26
TUE
Music
NOAM PIKELNY & STUART DUNCAN: Pikelny is a
founding member of the Punch Brothers and
won the inaugural Steve Martin Prize for
Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2010.
Duncan is a world-class fiddler, member
of the Nashville Bluegrass Band and has
worked with George Strait, Dolly Parton,
Guy Clark and Reba McEntire. Together, the
duo lights up the Big Room stage. Tue, 2/26,
7:30pm. $28. Sierra Nevada Big Room, 1075 E.
20th St. sierranevada.com
27
WED
Special Events
MUTUAL AID SUPPORT FOR TRAUMA GRIEVING &
RECOVERY: North Valley Mutual Aid and the
Council for Grieving offer circles of support
for deep listening and sharing grief, expres-
sive art activities and supplies, movement
for restoring ease, and self-care skills
share. Wed, 2/27. Free. Chico Women’s Club,
592 E. Third St. 864-2134
FOR MORE MUSIC, SEE NIGHTLIFE ON PAGE 28
26 CN&R FEBRUARY 21, 2019
FINE ARTS
Art
BLACKBIRD: Crucial Times Photography
Collective, group photo exhibit explores
the manual, physical and chemical pro-
cess. Featuring the artwork from six
members of the collective, the display
reflects the contents of their latest book,
Volume 2. Through 2/28. 1431 Park Ave.
BUTTE COLLEGE ART GALLERY: Evan Hobart,
ceramics, sculptures and lots of cool
dinosaurs. Closing reception Feb. 28 at
4:30pm, with snacks and entertainment.
Through 2/28. Free. Arts Building.
CHICO ART CENTER: Renew, Rebuild, Reimagine,
featuring work by artists affected by the
Camp Fire. In the spirit of renewal and
regenerative ideas, CAC presents this
group exhibit. Through 3/1. 450 Orange St.
ENLOE CANCER CENTER: Beth Bjorklund, oil
paintings in our Healing Art Gallery by
Northern California artist. The Enloe
Cancer Center, Healing Art Gallery
features artists whose lives have been
touched by cancer. Through 4/19. Free.
265 Cohasset Road, 332-3856.
JACKI HEADLEY UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY:
Aksum Belle – Afterwards, artist and
printmaker Jacob Meders is a member of
the Mechoopda Indian Tribe. Using book
forms, prints, and sculpture, Meder’s
work challenges perceptions of place,
culture and identity built on the assimila-
tion and homogenization of Indigenous
peoples. Through 2/22. Arts & Humanities
Building, Chico State.
MUSEUM OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ART:
Dennis Leon I am here, the sculptor’s
work has been exhibited at the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the
Oakland Museum, the Corcoran Gallery
and beyond. Panel discussion Sunday,
March 10, 3-5pm. Through 3/24. $5. 900
Esplanade.
ORLAND ART CENTER: Perfection in Pencil and
Paint, showcasing works by Peter Piatt,
Steve Crane, Sharon Crabill and Eve
Berg-Pugh. Through 3/23. 732 Fourth St.,
Orland. orlandartcenter.com
THE TURNER: Mǝǝmento – Before, curated
from the Turner Collection by Jacob
Meders, a member of the Mechoopda
Indian Tribe, whose own work is
EVAN HOBART
Shows through Feb. 28
Butte College Art Gallery
SEE ART
concurrently exhibited at the Jacki
Headley University Art Gallery. Meders
explains that the linked exhibitions func-
tion “as a before and after” that suggests
ways to “see, share and learn — to open
a dialogue that allows a healing process.”
Through 2/22. Chico State. janetturner.org
Museums
BOLT’S ANTIQUE TOOL MUSEUM: Bolt’s Antique
Tool Museum, this fascinating, unique
museum has over 12,000 hand tools on
display, charting cataloging the evolution
and history of tools. $3. 1650 Broderick
St, Oroville.
CHICO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM: Ongoing exhib-
its, featuring tons of cool stuff for kids
to explore, including a miniature city,
complete with a junior vet clinic, dentist,
cafe and farmer’s market, a giant fish
tank, multisensory room, imagination
playground and much more. Check the
website for hours and admission
information. $7-$9. 325 Main St.
chicochildrensmuseum.org
CHICO CREEK NATURE CENTER: Living Animal
Museum & Nature Play Room, learn all
about local critters, plants and wildlife.
$2-$4. 1968 E. Eighth St. chicorec.com
GATEWAY SCIENCE MUSEUM: From Here to
There, explore the science of how things
move by land, sea and air. Lift, launch and
levitate as you experiment with hands-on
learning about gravity, friction and the
laws of motion. Also on display are The
Foothills, and America’s Wolves: From
Tragedy to Inspiration. Through 5/12.
$5-$7. 625 Esplanade. csuchico.edu
PATRICK RANCH MUSEUM: Patrick Ranch
Museum, working farm and museum with
rotating exhibits open every Saturday
and Sunday from 11am to 3pm. 10381
Midway, Durham. patrickranchmuseum.
org
VALENE L. SMITH MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY:
Remarkable Lives, exploring the inter-
twined worlds of birds and human, in
partnership with the Altacal Audubon
Society and Snow Goose Festival. Exhibits
include bird songs and behaviors, local
photography and a robotic recreation of
the late Jurassic Archaeopteryx. Through
7/31. Chico State.
SCENE
Outside
inside
Posthumous exhibit reveals the artist’s life of
connecting with nature
W hen she was a girl growing up in Berkeley, Ann
Leon sometimes accompanied her father, Dennis
Leon, on hikes into the nearby Coast Ranges foothills.
It was her job, she says, to carry drinking water in a
backpack he’d fashioned for that purpose.
These were more than hikes,
by however; like everything else Dennis
Robert Speer Leon did, they had an artistic dimen-
rober tspeer@ sion. In this case, he was building
newsrev i ew.c om site-specific artworks by moving
rocks to create arrangements sugges-
Review: tive of the ancient ceremonial stones
Dennis Leon: I Am found in the moors of Yorkshire,
Here shows through England, where he grew up. The
March 24.
Panel discussion:
fact that almost nobody would see
March 10, 3-5 p.m., his stones did not matter to him, his
with Ann Leon, Joan daughter says.
Leon, Steve Oliver and Leon had a thing for stones, as
Robert Herhusky. the current exhibition of his work,
MONCA Dennis Leon: I Am Here, at the
900 Esplanade Museum of Northern California Art
487-7272 (MONCA), in Chico, powerfully
monca.org demonstrates. And not just stones:
Lakes figure prominently in several
large wall pieces, including the dramatic “Memory
Lake” series of almost monumental collages in the
museum’s Headley Gallery. And trees are an impor-
tant element in the five pastels that comprise the simi-
larly named “Lake” series in the Phillips Gallery.
The collages are especially interesting for the way
they seem to change, depending on whether the view-
er is close by or standing back. Up close, they show
the rough edges of the torn paper, which are almost
sculptural in their tactile roughness. From farther
back, however, that roughness is no longer visible,
and the pieces seem more painterly—without losing
their raw, monumental energy.
They are complemented by a number of sculp-
Photo by rodger helwig
tures in bronze or wood that are similarly sugges-
tive of nature’s ineluctable presence through time.
Leon has written: “Nature is made up of lots and
lots of little pieces and things—yet its unity is
implicit. … Nature doesn’t notice my dilemma of
being simultaneously in it and an observer of it.”
Ann Leon is a well-known local chef and cooking
instructor who owns Leon Bistro in downtown
Chico. Her sister, Susan Leon Peterson, is a partner
in the enterprise. Their mother, Joan Leon, lives in
Berkeley. Together they are managing Dennis Leon’s
artwork, which they keep in a Chico storage unit.
Leon died in 1998, a victim, his family believes, of
medical error. He was 65 years old and vigorous but
had back problems from all the lifting he had done.
He died just moments after surgery to fuse some ver-
tebrae.
By the time of his death, Leon had had more than
80 exhibitions at such institutions as the San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art, the Oakland Museum, the
Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the
legendary Oliver Ranch sculpture garden in Sonoma.
Leon came to this country in 1951 and earned
a master of fine arts at Temple University in
Philadelphia before moving to Oakland in 1972. There
he taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts
(now California College of the Arts) for 20 years and
chaired the Sculpture Department from 1972 to 1988.
During this time he was also a prolific maker of art
who worked out of a large studio adjoining his house.
Winches and pulleys used to move the huge sculptures
dominated the space.
The MONCA exhibit showcases mostly large pieces,
but it also contains a number of small (4 or 5 inches
square) watercolors with titles such as “Rain and Shine”
and “Delta Storm.” They are like exquisite windows into
the weather conditions their titles suggest. Ω
February 21, 2019   CN&R  27
NIGHTLIFE
CHRIS ROBINSON
BROTHERHOOD
Tonight, Feb. 21
El Rey Theater
SEE THURSDAY
21THURSDAY
CHICO UNPLUGGED: Acoustic music
from local singers and songwrit-
ers.  Thu, 2/21, 7pm.  Madison
Bear Garden, 316 W. Second St.,
916-873-3194.
CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD:
Ex-Black Crowes frontman merges
blues rock energy with jamband
vibes.  Thu, 2/21, 8pm.  $25. El Rey
Theater, 230 W. Second St.
ERIC PETER: Solo jazz.  Thu, 2/21,
6:30pm.  Diamond Steakhouse, 220
W. Fourth St.
28   CN&R  February 21, 2019
MERAKI & MATILDA KRULDER: Jazz
vocalist and accompaniment.  Thu,
2/21, 6pm.  Tender Loving Coffee, 365
E. Sixth St.
THUMPIN’ THURSDAY ROCK ’N’ BLUES
JAM: Hosted by the Loco-Motive
Band plus special guests. All musi-
cians and music enthusiasts
welcome.  Thu, 2/21, 7pm.  Free.
Studio Inn Lounge, 2582 Esplanade,
408-449-2179.
22FRIDAY
ALEX & BEN MORRISON: The brothers
from the Brothers Comatose tear
THURSDAY 02/21—WEDNESDAY 02/27
one up in this partial benefit for
Camp Fire survivors. The always
excellent Hannah Jane Kile opens
the show.  Fri, 2/22, 7:30pm.  $15-$20.
Chico Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St.
kzfr.org
ALEX VINCENT: Live music from singer/
songwriter.  Fri, 2/22, 7pm.  The
Exchange, 1975 Montgomery St.,
Oroville. theexchangeoroville.com
ANIMA EFFECT: Djent progressive
metal band hits Oroville on their
Terminal Encryption tour, plus The
Deprived and Bullet Lobotomy.  Fri,
2/22, 8pm.  $8. The Spirit, 2360 Oro
Quincy Highway, Oroville.
BLACKOUT BETTY: High-octane classic
rock tribute band packs the dance
floor.  Fri, 2/22, 9:30pm.  $5. Feather
Falls Casino & Lodge, 3 Alverda
Drive, Oroville. featherfallscasino.
com
HILLTOP RATS: Tacoma, Wash., punk
band plays with skate punks Boss’
Daughter, ümlaut-laden garage
punks ¡Hörriblé! and Nothing
Left.  Fri, 2/22, 9pm.  $7. The Maltese,
1600 Park Ave. maltesebarchico.com
KOTTONMOUTH KINGS: Dope-smokin’
hip-hop trio known for their hits
“Tangerine Sky,” “City 2 City” and
“Cruizin’.”  Fri, 2/22, 9pm.  $20-$25.
Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave.
OPEN MIC: Tito hosts this regular
JIĀHŌU
Fresh off realeasing a brand-new album of lush folk rock
event. Backline available.  Fri, 2/22, and evocative lyrics, China (pictured) lands at 1078 Gal-
7:30pm.  $1. Down Lo, 319 Main St., lery this Saturday (Feb. 23) to perform with locals Garrett
5305134707.
James Gray and Donald Beaman. Featuring players from
PUB SCOUTS: Traditional Irish music Odawas, Papercuts and The Black Swans, the supergroup
for happy hour.  Fri, 2/22, 4pm.  $1. writes bittersweet stories, aching Americana and fabulously
Duffy’s Tavern, 337 Main St.
arranged indie pop led by singer Michael J. Tapscott. This is
SCOTT PEMBERTON BAND: Psych and fine road-trippin’ landscape music that will make you pine for
roots rocker lays down the fuzz thoughtful solitude and a cold beer.
and the funk. The guitar wizard has
thrilled audiences at High Sierra
Music Festival and beyond. Excellent
Sacramento guitarist Adrian Bellue
opens the show with his trio.  Fri,
2/22, 9pm.  $10. Lost on Main, 319
Main St. lostonmainchico.com
TANNER RICHARDSON: Singer/
songwriter performs for happy
hour.  Fri, 2/22, 4pm.  La Salles, 229
Broadway St. lasalleschico.com
TYLER DEVOLL: Happy hour tunes.  Fri,
2/22, 4pm.  La Salles, 229 Broadway
St. lasalleschico.com
THE WIZ KID: Country dance hits in
the lounge.  Fri, 2/22, 8:30pm.  Gold
Country Casino & Hotel, 4020 Olive
Highway, Oroville. goldcountry
23SATURDAY
ATOMIC PUNKS: A tribute to early
CHINA: Cinematic Bay Area indie
rock group joined by songwriters
Garrett James Gray and Donald
Beaman.  Sat, 2/23, 7pm.  1078 Gallery,
casino.com Van Halen.  Sat, 2/23, 9:30pm.  $5. 1710 Park Ave. 1078gallery.org
Feather Falls Casino & Lodge, 3
Alverda Drive, Oroville. featherfalls COMEDY MALFUNCTION: Jordan Antuan
YURKOVIC: Trio brings the lo-fi electric casino.com
Riggins hosts a grip of great comics
sweetness and their own version
of delta swamp blues to the wine including headliner Emma Haney,
bar.  Fri, 2/22, 8pm.  $7. Unwined BARREL AGED: Barrel-aged stouts Shahera Hyatt, Becky Lynn, Rhoda D.
Kitchen & Bar, 980 Mangrove Ave., and barrel-aged music.  Sat, Ramone and Jason Mack.  Sat, 2/23,
321-9534. 2/23, 7pm.  The Commons Social 9pm.  $7. The Maltese, 1600 Park Ave.
Empourium, 2412 Park Ave. maltesebarchico.com
 Adrenochrome
THE FRITZ: Salsa, latin, rock and
funk. Sat, 2/23, 8pm. Unwined
Kitchen & Bar, 980 Mangrove Ave.
unwinedchico.com
INSIGHT: Rock ’n’ roll hits in the
lounge. Sat, 2/23, 8:30pm. Feather
Falls Casino & Lodge, 3 Alverda
Drive, Oroville.
MAKER’S MILE & FURLOUGH FRIDAYS:
Funk, rock, reggae and hip-hop. Sat,
2/23, 9pm. $5. Studio Inn Lounge,
2582 Esplanade.
MERCEDES MACIAS & DALLAS DARNELL:
Alliterated musicians, plus special
guest, Rebecca Kuehne. Sat, 2/23,
6:30pm. Free. Farm Star Pizza, 1395
W. Lindo Ave., 530-343-2056.
MIKE RUSSELL: Stone cold blues, roots
rock and a bit of Americana. Sat,
TERREMOTO,
ADRENOCHROME,
KALT-TIER & IVER
Tuesday, Feb. 26
Naked Lounge
SEE TUESDAY
2/23, 7pm. The Exchange, 1975
Montgomery St., Oroville.
NASHVILLE PUSSY: Boozin’ guitar sling-
ers spray revved-up Southern rock
all over the place, with opening act
Prima Donna. Sat, 2/23, 9pm. $15.
Lost on Main, 319 Main St. loston
mainchico.com
POPPY: Pop sensation and social media
star translates her viral YouTube
videos to the stage. Australian emo-
pop singer AViVA opens the show. Sat,
2/23, 9pm. $20. Senator Theatre, 517
Main St. jmaxproductions.net
RETROTONES: Classic rock and country
tunes. Sat, 2/23, 9:30pm. La Salles,
229 Broadway St. lasalleschico.com
THE WIZ KID: Country dance hits in
the lounge. Sat, 2/23, 8:30pm. Gold
THIS WEEK: FIND MORE ENTERTAINMENT AND SPECIAL EVENTS ON PAGE 24
OPEN MIC COMEDY NIGHT: Working on
Country Casino & Hotel, 4020 Olive
Highway, Oroville. goldcountry
casino.com
PITY PARTY & SUNNY ACRES: Bay Area
24SUNDAY
THE COMEDY ROAST OF MIKE G RIDE:
Mike G Ride gets roasted on stage
while you point and laugh ... What an
honor! All the proceeds go to survi-
vors of the Camp Fire via the North
Valley Community Foundation. Sun,
COMEDY NIGHT: Whatchoo laughing
2/24, 7pm. $15. Chico Women’s Club,
592 E. Third St.
GOOD DOG!: Good ol’ fellas with funky
OPEN MIC: Hosted by veteran
guitars, banjos, dobro, and dog-
house bass in the vein of Ry Cooder,
Taj Mahal, Big Easy Delta, and
mountain porch music. Sun, 2/24,
3pm. Free. Secret Trail Brewing Co.,
132 Meyers St., Ste. 120.
MUSICAL MADNESS BURLESQUE:
Burlesque troupe takes on your
favorite musicals! Come geek out
with the Malteazers. Sun, 2/24,
6pm. $10. Birdcage Theatre, 1740 Bird
St., Oroville. birdcagetheatre.org
a bit? See if it’s a hit or heckle-
worthy, and enjoy cheap beer
specials. Sun, 2/24, 8pm. The
Maltese, 1600 Park Ave. maltesebar
chico.com
25MONDAY
emo pop and local psych rock,
plus more bands TBA. Mon, 2/25,
7:45pm. $5. Ike’s Place, 648 W. Fifth
St.
26TUESDAY
at? Tue, 2/26, 9pm. La Salles, 229
Broadway St. lasalleschico.com
Chico singer/songwriter Andan
Casamajor. There’s always a guitar
to borrow and a house cajón for
frisky fingers, so come on down
and get on the list. Tue, 2/26,
6pm. Tender Loving Coffee, 365 E.
Sixth St.
TERREMOTO & ADRENOCHROME: HOT POTATO!: Gypsy jazz trio. Wed,
Australia/Oakland post punk and 2/27, 6pm. Free. Red Tavern, 1250
Bay Area dark punk, plus local dark-
wavers Kalt-Tier and dreamboat
Esplanade, 891-3354.
goth people Iver. Tue, 2/26, 8pm. $7. OPEN POETRY READING: Poetry and
Naked Lounge, 118 W. Second St. spoken word hosted by Bob the
Poet and Travis Rowdy. Wed, 2/27,
5:30pm. Blackbird, 1431 Park Ave.
27WEDNESDAY
THE BIDWELLS: Local duo performs in
YOU POOR DEVIL: Folk-rock dirtbag
Americana group celebrates the
release of their new album, plus
the lounge. Wed, 2/27, 6pm. Diamond sets from Truck Stop and Thin
Steakhouse, 220 W. Fourth St.
hoteldiamondchico.com
Air. Wed, 2/27, 7:30pm. $5. The
Maltese, 1600 Park Ave.
CAT POWER
Twenty-plus years and seven
albums later, Nashville Pussy
(pictured) still sleazes it up
better than anyone else. The
band’s new album, Pleased to
Eat You, is layered with AC/
DC riffs, Alice Cooper schtick
and ZZ Top boogie and opens
with the innuendo-less “She
Keeps Me Coming, and I Keep
Coming Back,” to put your
mind in the gutter from the
get-go. Added bonus is watching lead guitarist Ruyter Suys
tear through a fretboard—damn fun. Live at Lost on Main
with L.A. rockers Prima Donna on Saturday (Feb. 23).
FEBRUARY 21, 2019 CN&R 29
 REEL WORLD

‘Mad love’
A beautiful, dark
love story set in
post-WWII Poland

CBestisForeign
old War, the bleakly stylish drama from Poland that
one of the more prominent Oscar nominees for
Language Film, is a strangely fascinating
mixture of love story and historical epic. And there’s
a provocative strangeness in that
by mixture’s key ingredients—the love
Juan-Carlos story is crazed, grim, erratic and baf-
Selznick flingly passionate, while the sprawl
of Cold War history lurches along
in the background, seemingly some-
es over alone. He finds work in Paris, and she returns
to Poland and marries a party official. Both have mod-
erately successful careers as musical performers, and
they reunite briefly in Paris a few years later, and sub-
sequently there will be further brief (but increasingly
fraught) reunions in Yugoslavia and back in Poland,
despite the legal risks to Wiktor as a defector.
What emerges in all this, at least in part, is a kind of
smoldering allegory in which a wildly irrational tale of
amour fou (“mad love”) plays out against a backdrop

4
where between theater of the absurd
and the world of paranoid thrillers.
The chief figures in the story, the
Cold War lovers, first meet in post-World War
Opens Friday, Feb. II Poland in the late 1940s amid the
22. Starring Joanna fervor for the newly established com-
Kulig and Tomasz Kot. munist regime. Wiktor (Tomasz Kot)
Directed by Pawel
Pawlikowski. Pageant
is a musician involved in managing
Theatre. Rated R. theatrical events. Zula (Joanna Kulig)
is among a crowd of young women
auditioning for roles in what is set to
be a government-sponsored touring group performing
traditional music of the common folk.
Wiktor has his eye on Zula right from the start, and
singles her out for inclusion on the tour, as much for
her blonde beauty and bold demeanor as for any musi-
cal talent. Soon, they are romantically involved, and
soon after that their romance is running hot and cold
as their lives, together and separately, take on several
abrupt changes of direction.
Writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski takes the story
through a series of shifts of time and place. The couple
plan to defect while on tour in East Berlin, but Zula
changes her mind at the last moment and Wiktor cross-
of massive oppression and stifling conformity. And
that may shake out a little too easily as a sweeping pro-
test against the Cold War era as system-wide freeze-
out of individual passion and identity. But there’s also
the possibility that these odd, inexplicably devoted
lovers have their indifference to the norms of the Cold
War era as their only real, desperately irresistible bond.
Kulig gives the film’s standout performance. Her
Zula might be a film noir femme fatale, but she also
exudes the ambiguous resourcefulness of a born sur-
vivor. The character and the actor both demand our
attention while also refusing to be categorized.
Kot is something of a cipher as Wiktor, but with just
enough gravitas and “presence” to consistently claim
our attention as well. In the Paris sequences, actor/singer
Jeanne Balibar and actor/director Cédric Kahn have
some strong moments in secondary roles.  Ω
1 2 3 4 5
Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent

30   CN&R  February 21, 2019

FILM SHORTS
Reviewers: Bob Grimm and
Juan-Carlos Selznick.
Opening this week
4 Cold War
See review this issue. Pageant Theatre.
Rated R —J.C.S.
Fighting With My Family
A biopic based on the life of English wrestler
Paige (played by Florence Pugh), her wres-
tling family and her journey to the WWE.
Also starring Vince Vaughn and The Rock.
Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas. Rated
PG-13.
How to Train Your Dragon:
The Hidden World
The third entry in the animated franchise
picks up a year after the events in the
previous film, with Hiccup the dragon (voice
of Jay Baruchel) searching for a dragon
utopia. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas.
Rated PG.
Oscar Movie Week
All week leading up to the Academy Awards
(Feb. 24), Cinemark is showing different Best
Picture nominees each day. Check with the-
ater for showtimes. Cinemark 14. Rated PG.
Now playing
Alita: Battle Angel
Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) directs this film
adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s Japanese
cyberpunk manga series, Gunnm, featuring
a cyborg heroine named Alita (Rosa Salazar)
who was rendered for the big screen using
CGI technologies developed for James Cam-
eron’s Avatar. Cinemark 14, Feather River
Cinemas. Rated PG-13.
Aquaman
Jason Momoa takes his superhuman
physique from Game of Thrones to the title
character in this film adaptation of DC Com-
ics’ half-human/half-Atlantean heir to the
underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Cinemark
14. Rated PG-13.
Cold Pursuit
Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland does
an American remake of his own 2014 film,
In Order of Disappearance. This one stars
Liam Neeson as a snowplow driver-turned-
vengeful vigilante as he hunts down the drug
dealers and crime boss responsible for his
son’s death. Cinemark 14, Feather River
Cinemas. Rated R.
4 The Favourite
Tragedy intertwines with farce in the
portrait of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), who
is simultaneously a figure of obvious pathos
and surprising resilience. And that portrait
is further intensified via her attachments
to Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and the no
longer well-to-do Abigail (Emma Stone), two
resourceful strivers who find themselves in
increasingly fierce competition for status as
the Queen’s “favourite.” Each of the three
is a kind of flawed heroine, at one point or
another. Colman is superb as Queen Anne, but
Weisz and Stone also deliver exceptional work
in strikingly nuanced roles. Directed by Yor-
gos Lanthimos (The Lobster, Dogtooth, etc.),
the film is challenging yet richly rewarding
experience. Pageant Theatre. Rated R —J.C.S.
Glass
The third film in writer/director M. Night
Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy (which
includes previous entries Unbreakable and
Split) pits a hero with superhuman strength
(Bruce Willis) against two “supervillains”—
a dangerously unstable man with 24
personalities (James McAvoy) and a genius
mass-murderer with brittle bones (Samuel
L. Jackson). Cinemark 14. Rated PG-13.
Happy Death Day 2U
The sequel picks up where the 2017 original
left off, but this time multiple people are be-
ing murdered and reliving the same day over
and over as a slasher in a baby-face mask
hunts them down. Cinemark 14, Feather
River Cinemas. Rated PG-13.
Isn’t It Romantic
A fantasy-satire starring Rebel Wilson as
an unlucky-in-love woman who finds herself
stuck in a stereotypical rom-com universe.
Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas. Rated
PG-13.
3 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
Another healthy dose of family-friendly
fun at which both kids and parents should
laugh heartily. The Second Part picks up
five years after the end of the first movie,
and our hero Emmet (Chris Pratt) is happily
buying coffee in Apocalypseburg, a devastated
LEGO-land of sullen tones and broken dreams
where master builder Wyldstyle (Elizabeth
Banks) has taken to dramatic narration at
all times as things in their world have turned
from awesome to bleak. The culprits are
aliens called Duplos, invading forces that are
at once undeniably adorable and unabash-
edly destructive. It’s a crazed world where
Batman (Will Arnett) gets engaged to Queen
Waterva Wa’Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), leader
of the Duplo, and Emmett winds up running
with a Kurt Russell-type antihero named Rex
Dangervest, who is suspiciously like him (and
who is also voiced by Pratt). The movie feels a
bit repetitive in places, and some of the action
is too fast to be fully taken in, but flaws aside,
it’s still a lot of fun. There’s a slightly dark un-
derbelly at play here, and it’s fun to see a kid’s
flick that doesn’t totally play it safe. Cinemark
14, Feather River Cinemas. Rated PG —B.G.
The Prodigy
Is a boy’s behavior a sign of genius or
something far more sinister? Cinemark 14,
Feather River Cinemas. Rated R.
5 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
No movie adaptation has captured the
rush of reading an exciting comic book like
this blast of energy from directors Bob Per-
sichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman.
They go for broke with a seamless mixture
of visual styles—hand-drawn and computer
animated—and the story is pretty great, to
boot. Teenager Miles Morales (voiced by Sha-
meik Moore) is bitten by a strange spider and
then, with his new-found powers in effect,
crosses paths with the original Spider-Man,
Peter Parker (Chris Pine). Turns out a portal
from a parallel universe has opened up, al-
lowing a whole fleet of different Spider-Verse
characters to come into his orbit—the older
Peter B. Parker (the invaluable Jake Johnson),
Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Ham
(a mishmash of Spidey and Porky Pig voiced
by John Mulaney), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn)
and her robot and, best of all, Nicolas Cage
as the black-and-white Spider-Man Noir.
So, Miles is one of many heroes with Spider
powers tasked with battling bad dudes.
Spider-Verse is surely one of the best movies
of the year and the best Spider-Man movie to
date. Cinemark 14. Rated PG —B.G.
The Upside
A buddy dramedy about the relationship
that develops between a wealthy quadriple-
gic (Bryan Cranston) and the ex-con (Kevin
Hart) hired to take care of him. Cinemark 14.
Rated PG-13.
What Men Want
A decades-old Mel Gibson flick gets the
gender-flip treatment here, when Taraji P.
Henson stars as a sports agent who finally
gets a leg up on the boy’s club of her profes-
sion when she somehow gains the ability to
hear men’s private thoughts. Cinemark 14.
Rated R.
February 21, 2019   CN&R  31
 CHOW
Something
to chew on
Rethinking
corn and
rice as beer
ingredients
Cforgrains
orn and rice: These staple
have supported humans
ages. In the 20th century,
they became key ingredients of
mainstream
by American lagers.
Alastair These grains, it
Bland turns out, help
provide the sugar
necessary for
making alcohol but without adding
much, if any, extra bodyweight to
the beer. The result is often beers
light in color and body and, and by
some opinions, bland tasting.
As craft beer emerged in
the 1970s and ’80s, the people
making a new type of small-scale
beer scorned mainstream brands
and the methods used to make
them. In the process, rice and
corn got thrown under the bus as
inferior to more flavorful barley.
Craft beer enthusiasts took to
labeling rice and corn “adjuncts,”
and they said these ingredients
were merely additives to help
brewers cut corners in the brew-
ing process, saving money while
watering down the beer.
How times have changed.
Today, some craft brewers are
giving these grains a second
chance as corn and rice find their
way into craft brewery beer kettles
around the country. Lagunitas,
Almanac, the Bruery, Ballast Point,
32 CN&R FEBRUARY 21, 2019
Midnight Sun, Dogfish Head
and many more have made beers
containing rice.
Rice, it turns out, adds subtle
flavors to the beer—light and
fragrant grain notes, compared to
the heavier flavors of barley.
Corn is seeing its own revival
as a craft beer ingredient, after
many years as enemy No. 1
for critics of industrial-scale
agriculture and food production.
Cicerone and writer Miles Liebtag
put it succinctly in a December
2017 essay in which he wrote,
“[M]ore and more breweries are
experimenting with the use of corn
to make approximations of styles
and brands they otherwise mock
and deride.”
In fact, the recent rise of craft
lagers—a beer category historically
dominated by the companies that
make Coors, Miller, Bud and the
like—has coaxed many craft brew-
ers to give rice and corn a chance.
Trevor Martens, co-owner
and head brewer at Pond Farm
Brewing Co., in San Rafael, says
there is nothing inherently wrong
with lagers produced largely with
rice and corn at industrial scales.
Even the fact that these types of
beers have relatively little flavor is
not necessarily a great flaw.
“By brewing a rice lager, craft
brewers are giving consumers
Dogfish Head’s Chicha ale made
with chewed-up Peruvian corn.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOGFISH HEAD
a light beer option that’s still
produced on small scale by an
independent brewer,” Martens
writes in an email.
Indian Valley Brewing Co.
in Novato has added corn to the
recipe of its lager 50 Trips to Pini.
Fifteen years ago, this might have
been a shameful affront to craft
brewing ethics. Today, it’s quite the
opposite—just one more way to
make a diversity of beer styles.
Among the more charismatic
corn-based beers is Dogfish
Head’s Chicha, a beer inspired by
an Andean tradition of chewing
kernels of corn before brewing,
thereby facilitating the fermenta-
tion process with human salivary
enzymes. Dogfish Head’s
rendition, first made in 2009,
has involved company parties at
which employees stood side by
side chewing purple Peruvian
corn and spitting it into the brew
pot.
The fact is corn and rice are
charismatic grains in their own
right. They have rich cultural histo-
ries and form the foundation of
entire regional cuisines. They also,
not surprisingly, can add flavor
and nuance to beers. In a venue
where creativity and innovation are
valued virtues, excluding rice and
corn on arbitrary grounds goes,
well, against the grain. Ω
 ARTS DEVO
by JASON CASSIDY • jasonc@newsreview.com

REFUGEE SONG This is a tough watch. Longtime local musician John-Michael

Sun sits in a chair in the ashes of his destroyed Paradise home and plays
guitar and sings in response to the tragedy. “Well I had me a garden, and
everything I grew there/kept me thinking, ‘I’m OK,’ here in my easy chair/I
finally had me some roses
that weren’t eaten by deer/It
was a good life, but now I cry
me a tear.”
The beautiful folk tune
was posted on the Facebook
page for Climate Uprising (see
it at goo.gl/pVm4YJ), a local
group born in the wake of the
Camp Fire that is spearhead-
ing a global call to action for
responding to the climate
crisis. The video also features
Sun’s partner, musician/ John-Michael Sun
open-mic promoter Susan
Dobra, and the images of them surveying their burned home for the first time
are heartbreaking, especially as the song’s achingly sad refrain plays in the
background: “I’m a refugee, and I wanna go home.”
The song’s title is “Refugee,” and it’s one of three tunes on Sun’s new EP
called The Ashes of Paradise, available for free download on his Soundcloud
page at soundcloud.com/jm-sun.

WHAT WAS LOST Local artists

Rebecca Wallace and Rebecca
Shelly are spearheading an
ambitious art project designed
to connect Camp Fire survivors
with artists who will create
artworks to give back to those who’ve suffered loss. Working with gallery-
production students from Butte College and the 1078 Gallery, they’ve created
a Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/whatwaslost) where they are
posting images and stories of what was lost that artists will in turn “adopt”
and create a piece of art from. The works will be shown at 1078 Gallery
April 26-27 during the Remembered: Art Honoring Loss from the Camp Fire
exhibit before being given to those being honored.
To share a story or inquire about creating art, visit the Facebook group
or email whatwaslostinthecampfire@gmail.com.
MORE TUUUNES! Dude! The local emo crews know how to record. Chico
four-piece Creekside just dropped a self-titled EP, and the sound is huge and
clean without sacrificing any energy. Five songs of fist-pumping post-punky
power pop, with whiplash stops and
starts and emotional-boy lyrics. Hot
track: melodic closer “Nails.” Get it at
creeksideca.bandcamp.com and find
’em on Facebook to see where the
house party is this weekend.
At the other end of the emo time-
lime, those grandfathers of the local
indie scene in Surrogate have been
teasing a someday-to-be-released
album called Space Mountain by leak-
ing five tracks over the past several
months on Spotify (and a few on
Bandcamp). Hot track: the gorgeously
recorded slice of baroque pop, “Song
Cover art for Surrogate’s Space Mountain No. 4.” Find Surrogate on Spotify or
by Oliver Hutton.
visit surrogatemusic.bandcamp.com.

34 CN&R FEBRUARY 21, 2019