Chico, the new Peoria

A band that once played at the defunct Harrington’s just recently contacted me and said that they were interested in playing at the Senator for about five grand! Well, apparently the whole world has gone nuts, because while these guys might have progressed in their careers, that kind of dough does not play well in Chico. Not that they don’t deserve it, but when you see local promoters still charging $3 for five bands, well, it all looks skewed.

But we’re in a bubble up here, and the trouble with bubbles is they always pop. For instance, this weekend I tried to get into a matinee of Planet of the Apes (sold out) but had to shell out the 15 dollars to see the late show. After begrudgingly letting another 10 bucks slip through my hands for “snacks,” I entered the theater at Tinseltown, only to find that there were no seats left save for the first three rows. I don’t mind being close, but this was practically behind the screen. We found our two seats in the third row and dug in, as five, yes five commercials played. Just when we thought it was safe to relax, the manager of T-town leaned over us and told us to move down so that a “family” could squeeze in next to us. Not only was the guy rude, but he also confused our row so much that by the time the “family” arrived, a man and a woman, they were even more pissed than we were. Add in a few choice NJ insults, and we had a very tense situation there in row three. His wife then apologized, my wife accepted, and it was back to expensive entertainment in mismanaged Tinseltown.

Hell, if I wanted to get insulted I could have gone to the Pageant Theater. At least those people are my friends, their prices aren’t gouging, the profits go to community folks and the flicks are better in a 10:1 ration.

Speaking of friends, Ant Farm returns from their cross-country trip for a performance on Aug. 9. Despite lead xylophone player Ken Lovegren‘s bad reaction to some spider bites in the Midwest, the band seems intact. Sharing the stage, and playing for free in the park the night before on the 8th, is the Molehill Orkestra, an eight-piece from Tucson that plays klezmer, Middle Eastern, and strange Danny Elfman/Tom Waits soundtracks. Next week less bitchin’ and more band news. Band story?