Decidedly un-"hip"—and proud of it

While the marketing geniuses over at Team Scoopy are busy devising a new round of billboards and ads touting their deep bench of entertainment experts (next up: “Coolgirl knows nightlife!”), those of us starkly un-promoted scribes at your favorite arch-conservative weekly remain active, skulking about the peripheries of the entertainment scene and looking for that overlooked nugget of subgenius among the rotting carcasses of failed hipsters and multinational business schemes.

For example, next Friday (August 15) in Grass Valley, several western-living enthusiasts will be reading and singing cowboy poetry at the Center for the Arts, located at 314 W. Main Street. Now, as I typed this, one of my co-workers with a nose for buncombe was looking over my shoulder. “Why bother with that cowboy stuff?” he sniffed. “It’s way over-promoted.” “Yes,” I agreed. “But if we can scoop our vigilant friends over on Q Street, it may be worth it. Besides,” I informed him, “one of the participants will be Pat Richardson, the Academy of Western Artists’ 2003 cowboy poet of the year.”

My co-worker smirked: “Yeah, right.”

I paused a beat and then clobbered him with this salient nugget: Richardson’s CD, nominated by the Academy as Cowboy CD of the Year, is titled B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Sheep). Now, that kind of perverse nonsense might be the product of the fevered imagination of some demented Scotsman (and as a demented Scotsman myself, I can hurl this epithet without being called to task by the anti-Caledonian defamation lobby), but it’s a rank surprise coming from someone historically associated with “punchin’ li’l doggies.” In fact, the CD title is almost as twisted as Senator Rick Santorum’s comments regarding man-on-dog sex.

But perhaps I’ve read too much into this. At any rate, the festivities will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m., and in addition to Richardson, performers include Ron Scofield, a cowboy singer and rancher from Fiddletown; and Jim King, a rancher, businessman and poet from Chico. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and $1 for anyone under 18. Refreshments will be included, although it isn’t certain that four-alarm chili featuring three species of reptile, or room-temperature sarsaparilla, will be provided.

For those who cannot wait, or whose tastes run more toward classic rock, the band Landus, a fixture on the local scene since 1973, will be hosting its 30-year reunion this Saturday, August 9, at the Palm Street Pub & Grill, 6416 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael. The nonstop party action starts at 9 p.m., and there’s no cover. Landus’ 1998 debut CD, 1st Step, most likely will be available for sale there.

Oh, and there’s some stuff going on at the True Love Coffeehouse and Old Ironsides this weekend, too.