Movies and music, and movie music
I have no recollection of how I came into a copy of Escape From Noise, S.F. experimental band Negativland’s 1987 damaged-pop sound collage, but I know that repeated listenings of the cassette did things to 18-year-old me. It’s one of the handful of unexpected sparks of weirdness introduced during my teens that made me burn for something different.
Negativland has persisted with its various sonic pranks for more than four decades’ worth of avant-garde social commentary, and its latest project has the band coming to Chico! Sept. 13 (8 p.m.), Negativland will be at the Pageant Theatre to collaborate with “real-time cinema” artist SUE-C on We Can Really Feel Like We’re Here, a live audio/live cinema performance. Tickets are $25 ($30 at the door) and available at pageantchico.com.
And that’s just one of three film-music mashups on the September calendar.
Also at the Pageant, Sept. 20, the Austin, Texas, instrumental crew The Invincible Czars returns to town to perform a live soundtrack along with the silent vampire classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.
Last, Sept. 25 at the Naked Lounge, it’s Repo Man, a cover night presented by Josh Indar’s KZFR radio show, “Eve of Destruction.” Local bands Tite Nauts, Severance Package, Jake & The Tightys, Ken the Revelator, Tom Little and more will make the punk soundtrack to Alex Cox’s 1984 cult classic come back to life.
Farewell to two local icons
Last month, after the paper’s press deadline, I got the word that Chico lost one of its brightest souls. Dan Grover died on July 27. He was 59.
Those locals who attend the many concerts and festivals in Nor Cal, have seen Grover a lot. He’s been one of the most visible music fanatics in Chico, and as a man confined to a wheelchair at an early age due debilitating muscular dystrophy, he devoted much of his life to helping others in his situation have the chance to see the shows. In fact, See The Show is the name of the business he started with the goal of working with promoters as an ADA accessibility coordinator/consultant to ensure everyone has a clear line of sight to performers on stage.
Friend to many, Grover was beloved by his community, many of whom have been opening their hearts on social media. Here’s a snippet from Grace Senoglu: “There will never be another you, but your magic and the impact you made on every single person you loved will stay with us forever. You were, and will always be, the LIFE of the party.”
A memorial for Grover will take place Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. at Campfire Council Ring in Bidwell Park.
The following month saw another local great go down. Aug. 21, longtime local arts supporter Reed Applegate died after a reported heart attack. He was 79.
Applegate was perhaps best known in recent years as one of the early benefactors of the Museum of Northern California Art, gifting large number of pieces to MONCA’s permanent collection. A recognizable figure around town, the lifelong Chicoan was a patron of many of Chico’s arts institutions, including the North State Symphony, Chico Community Ballet and The Turner print museum.
There will be a special tribute honoring Applegate at MONCA’s Works from the Beginning and Beyond show (Oct. 13-23), an exhibit that will focus on works from the museum’s permanent collection.
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