Who
Contact
Bands
Articles
Reviews
Women In Art
Bites
Venom Shows
Resources
Articles
"I
was always into rock, even when I was very little. I really liked the
beat and the speed, the toughness."
-- LIZ PHAIR
Where Were All The Students!?
A review of Nowhere x Nowhere
Music and Multimedia Festival, Chico, CA April 2001
by L. Hayle
If I were a creative and motivated individual residing in Chico, CA, I might be inclined to import culture too… This is just what a local music-show promoter/columnist know only as DNA has done for the third year in a row. If Chico rings a bell, it's probably the one on the campus of Chico State University, which has been there for decades and houses roughly 25,000 students. (Where were all the students!?)
Though Chico is only a few hours north of the Bay Area and 20 miles off of a highway - it does feel a bit like nowhere. My band, FICTION, was selected to play on the first night of the festivities. We arrived early enough that day to try and solve this puzzle called Chico. It's easy to see the town merely as two or three long streets that grew stores, eateries, bars, and head shops like fungus. If you squint you'll see that the university, as well as a hunger for entertainment date back several decades. I have never seen such a concentration of clubs and theaters! You can walk just about everywhere in Chico and so we strolled into the small but nicely appointed Chico Museum. Apparently, this odd little place has a surprising relationship with the silver screen. Imagining the excitement when locals were chosen as extras in such epics as "Gone With The Wind" and the technicolor "Robin Hood". Rhett and Scarlet brought the saga of the Old South to life here - and Clark and Vivian appeared in the flesh at the local Senator Theater for the town premiere of the film. The stately yet modest Senator was where we and other bands checked in for NxN. Having two large stages, the Senator hosted somewhat famous acts like world-renowned mandolinist, Radim Zenkl, Barbara Manning, M.I.R.V., The Mother Hips, and many others. FICTION was greeted enthusiastically by DNA. He welcomed us warmly, gave us passes we gleefully wore about our necks, and wished us well. He informed us he had just signed a three-year lease with the owners of the Senator. We could practically see the music and multimedia events spinning in his eyes as he spoke energetically.
After enjoying a better-than-average diner meal at Jack's , we rock-starred our way to Moxie's Café, the venue we were slated to play at. There were eight different bars/theaters/cafes (and ugh - a taqueria!) that hosted the 140 or so bands playing in NxN. Moxie's is a loud band's nightmare with its comfy café civility, arty flavor, and lights bright enough to read by. FICTION made the most of it and had a great show. Before we had our turn on stage, a thoroughly enjoyable Brit-style pop group called Fonda played a stellar set. They drove all the way from L.A. and were certainly worthy of a larger audience. (Where were all the students!?) There were five bands in all, which was the average number of acts at any given venue each night. The second to last band to play Moxie's that night was Berkeley's own Left Out Lamont, who were sadly out of their element with their volume and attitude. NxN is only in its third year and has gotten more organized and publicized each year - but misplacing bands that have made the effort to place themselves in Chico is unforgivable.
Our band passes entitled us to entry at all shows and discounts at several retail shops and restaurants. We stayed another night to soak in the music. Soaked by rain, we were cold but determined to take a big bite of NxN. Though male fronted acts were in the majority, it was refreshing to see an acceptable number of female fronted bands. Friday night audiences were somewhat larger than the night before, but we noticed they were roughly 70% performers. (Where were all the students!?) The locals who participated seemed genuinely interested in NxN. A local man had asked us, "What's your band called?" I told him about FICTION and he seemed disappointed we had already performed. I thanked him for his interest and said, "You have a nice little town here." "It used to be," he said and began to describe an older Chico and the trolley that used to run through it. We discussed his impatience for the hoards of students running through the town now. A growing university adds to the wealth of its town, but depletes the character of it. This man's complaints of people just passing through and trashing the town just confirmed my feeling of a love loss between longtime residents and the student population. (Where were all the students!?)
As Friday night crept up on the wee hours of Saturday morning we began to see clusters of baby-faced girls with blonde buns cackling down the street. The sound of overgrown boys racing the engines of their pick-ups was head turning enough - but outdone by the various generic hoots and hollers hurled out the windows. I did in fact see two different vehicles sporting the confederate flag. We ducked the ruckus and headed into Stormy's, which is one of the smaller clubs. 20 Minute Loop was the musical bright spot of the evening. Proving that less is more, and when you quiet down - people have to listen to you, the band's female singer held the attention of all by starting a tune off singing quietly through a megaphone. The refreshingly original song ended in a rousing cut time male/female a capella duet that had patrons screaming in appreciation.
Next the night took us to the spot several locals had urged us to go to; Duffy's Tavern. There we saw a few more acts, including the Bay Area's Buddhakowski who always puts on a good show. The audience was happy, but still made up mainly of fellow musicians. (Those nifty NxN passes around the necks were a dead giveaway…) We ended our night at the Senator. A crowd of 100 or less young people lingered well past the official closing time of 1 am to see M.I.R.V. but then cleared out by half when San Francisco's formidable Gun and Doll Show took the stage. Students were boisterous but contained. On the walls of the Senator was the outstanding exhibit put on by the StopBush2000 Traveling Show. For my money, the art exhibitions as well as some of the short films shown were wore exhilarating than much of the music I heard at Nowhere x Nowhere.
Though the townspeople were enthusiastic about NxN and gracious towards visiting performers, it was all somehow anti-climactic. (Where were all the students!?)
Had DNA merely borrowed music from the Bay Area, promising more of an audience than we found - or had he successfully transformed Chico and created a genuine hub-ub? Five years from now, Nowhere x Nowhere could very well be an amazing festival. For now, it is only halfway there. But hey - its Chico - and it was fun while it lasted…