When the CN&R published the “definitive” career-spanning Spark & Cinder feature in 2006 (written by the late Carey Wilson), it was to mark the band’s 30th anniversary reunion show. Turns out, that wasn’t the end of the story. Another reunion is going down this month, Sept. 29, 8:30 p.m., at Mulberry Station Brewing Co., at what could be called the 47th anniversary(!) of Chico’s beloved dance-friendly rock/reggae/Latin/funk band.
For some background, I defer to Carey’s words:
For the linear minded and chronologically obsessed, the bare-bones story is that in the early ’70s there was a large community of California hippies living east of town in Butte Creek Canyon and playing music under the name the Butte Creek Family Band, led by Michael Cannon. And at the same time there was a small community of East Coast/Jersey City musicians living in a sprawling farmhouse northwest of town in what were then the walnut orchards along Lassen Avenue. The Jersey contingent called their band Supa Nova, a band that eventually splintered and reformed as Jackstraw, led by drummer/mandolinist Jimmy Fay. The two musical communities circled around and interacted with each other, playing the same venues in and around Chico, and eventually intertwined to the point of combining forces and resources and appearing as what is now simply called Spark & Cinder.
Best wine god: Dionysus
Out there in the interwebs, sneaking around the edges of your digital feed, is some promising new fun for Chico: Botella, a “neighborhood wine bar and bottle shop.” So far, Arts DEVO knows that most Fridays Botella pops up on the outdoor patio at Cafe Coda when the live music is happening, and that the folks behind it (Gina and Steven Hall) have produced a series of fun and silly commercials to promote the events. The videos are showing up on social media and feature shenanigans by Gina, local acting badass Samantha Shaner and the very surprising return of the Pageant Dads!
A brick-and-mortar Botella is in the works. For updates on the latest developments, follow Botella Chico on Instagram and Facebook.
Go for Baroque
A trio of local classical music mainstays is taking Chico back to the 17th and 18th centuries with a project called Butte Baroque. The brainchild of two former North State Symphony managers—Elizabeth Quivey and Keith Harritt—and organist/harpsichordist Jeffrey Cooper, the organization will be “providing performances and educational opportunities” to our area. The first concert by the Butte Baroque string orchestra—with violins, violas, cello, bass and keyboards—will feature music from Bach, Vivaldi and others and will take place Dec. 9, at St. John’s Episcopal Church (2341 Floral Ave.). Find “Butte Baroque” on Facebook for more info, and visit the GoFundMe campaign to help compensate musicians playing the premiere gig.
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