Arts & Culture Fin
Parting shot: (from left) Dan Elsen, Josh Kinsey, Adam Scarborough, Chris Roberts and Mike Crew. PHOTO BY KYLE BURNS
Chico’s favorite indieinstrumentalists plan their last show
L running active bands in Chico. The instrumental five-piece began playing together in 2003 and have a Fin du Monde is one of the longest
been an energetic constant in the local music scene ever since, making a name for themby selves with a complex, powerful Jason Cassidy brand of experimental rock. Yet, jasonc@ despite the band’s very active crenewsreview.com ative presence—marked as much by a penchant for organizing eclectic TWO MORE local shows featuring some of the SHOWS! most exciting touring bands (everyCafé Coda’s 6th anniversary: one from Giant Squid to Judgment Friday, Nov. 30, Day) as they were for their own 8 p.m., at Café bombastic live performances and Coda, with La Fin well-crafted recordings (three du Monde, Palaver, albums and two EPs)—the Chico Clouds on String News & Review has never done a and Chris Keene Cost: $5 proper feature on La Fin du Monde. And even now we are just The final La Fin sneaking in under the wire. du Monde show: With bassist Josh Kinsey movSaturday, Dec. 8, ing to Austin, Texas, the band is 7:30 p.m., at the El Rey Theatre. about to come to an end: La Fin du Openers include Monde will play its last show on The Americas, Saturday, Dec. 8, at the El Rey West By Swan Theatre. While the local-music and Aubrey community will experience a major Debauchery. Tickets: $10, change as a huge chunk of the available at scene’s foundation disappears, the www.ticketweb.com longtime collaborators will be facand Music ing the reality of no longer playing Connection. in the band they’ve been in for all Café Coda their adult lives up to this point. “I’m pretty sad. It’s a bitter265 Humboldt Ave. sweet kind of thing,” said drummer El Rey Theatre Dan Elsen, adding that after nine 230 W. Second St. years together, “It’ll be strange in three weeks.” All of the guys in the band grew up in the Paradise/Magalia area, and came together as La Fin du Monde in the aftermath of the breakups of the members’ two different high-school bands—Lurgee and Fenix Down. Those left standing—drummer Elsen, guitarist Adam Scarborough, bassist Kinsey, second bassist Mike Crew and second guitarist Jeremiah Root—initially were just going to do LFDM as a temporary project, but encouraged by positive audience responses, the new band stuck. After guitarist (and occasional vocalist—yes, LFDM had a few vocals way back in the day) Root left the band after a few shows to join the Marines, Chris Roberts joined and solidified the permanent line-up. Scarborough praised Roberts as being one of the keys to the bands development, citing his classical26 CN&R November 29, 2012
music background and “technically difficult” style for pushing them to get better at their craft. And it is definitely a craft, one that they worked at religiously one day a week over the course of the band’s existence. From the start, LFDM tried to eschew playing to any one genre. Even though they’ve been described as experimental, post-rock, math-rock, jam-rock and even metal, they never deliberately wrote in any of those styles. They simply agreed to say, “Let’s not set up any rules,” Elsen explained. “We didn’t feel like we could define the music. It’s obvious that it’s just weird rock.” As the band progressed, the process of writing their often long and rhythmically complex compositions started to change. Instead of the guitarists each coming in with semi-fleshed-out tunes, the band started presenting one idea at a time and just building from there, with everyone adding on parts until they were satisfied that the song was done. “It’s painstakingly composed,” said Elsen. “[And] it’s very linear—point A to point B.” The approach itself, writing as a collective, has been key to the invention and creative spark. “What other people are playing will change the way that you’re playing,” said Roberts. “In the early days it took five to six weeks” to write a song, Elsen added. “Now it [can take] three to four months.” And all that time working together really shows on their latest album—the just released Embers, recorded at Louder Studios in Grass Valley with well-known engineer Tim Green (who has recorded everyone from The Melvins to Wolves in the Throne Room). The eight-song CD is a shape-shifting beast, with two songs over nine minutes long and one, “Grey Skies Shade Bombs,” breaking the LFDM record for epicness with nearly 13 minutes of sustained sonic exploration. The final show will also be a dual CD-release party, for both Embers and an EP of previously unreleased first recordings made in Elsen’s kitchen. Even though it wasn’t logistically possible for the final show to take advantage of the synchronicity between their band name (which translates as “the end of the world”) and the apocalyptic hoopla surrounding 12.21.12, they will nonetheless be going out with a bang a couple weeks before the world follows suit. In addition to CD releases, they’ll be filling up the stage in the grand El Rey Theatre with some of their longest-running local musical friends—The Americas, Aubrey Debauchery, West by Swan—as well as playing two long final sets of their own. “We’re all friends,” Scarborough said. “We’re not leaving on bad terms. Life happens. We’ve had a good run.” Ω
THIS WEEK 29
THURS
Theater HOORAY FOR HOLYWOOD: NUNSET BLVD: A new musical comedy written by Jerry Miller that follows the Sisters of Our Lady of Kankakee as they try to save their beloved orphanage and order by going Hollywood. Th-Sa, 7:30pm; Su, 2pm through 12/9. $16-$18. Theatre on the Ridge Playhouse, 3735 Neal Rd. in Paradise, (530) 877-5760, www.totr.org.
Poetry/Literature CHICO STORY SLAM: Names go in a hat and 10 “tellers” share their unscripted stories, with applause determining the winner. Last Th of every month, 7pm. Opens 11/29. 100th Monkey Books & Cafe, 642 West Fifth St.
30
FRI
Special Events CHRISTMAS FAIRE: For the 37th year, the fine arts and crafts festival will offer wares from hundreds of vendors and entertainment throughout three days. 11/30-12/2, 10am. Prices vary. Silver Dollar Fairgrounds, 2357 Fair St., (530) 345-9652.
EAT, PRAY, SHOP: The benefit for Chico Christian Preschool classrooms will feature local vendors, baked goods, handmade gifts, a raffle and silent auction. F, 11/30, 10am-6pm. Chico Christian School, 2801 Notre Dame Blvd.; (530) 864-0478; www.chicochristian.org.
HISTORIC HOLIDAY HOME TOURS: Ride the trolley and tour the Bidwell Mansion, Stansbury
COMEDY PET THEATER Wednesday, Dec. 5 Laxson Auditorium
SEE WEDNESDAY, SPECIAL EVENTS
Home and Glenwood Farm House at Patrick Ranch Museum. Go online for more info. F, 11/30, 4-9pm. $25. Bidwell Mansion, 525 Esplanade; (530) 895-6144; www.chico chamber.com.
PATRICK RANCH MUSEUM WINTER ART FAIRE: A preview party Friday night will kick off the weekend-long fair with arts and crafts and tours of historic Glenwood Farm House. F,
11/30, 4-8pm; Sa, 12/1, 10am-4pm; Su, 12/2,
10am-4pm. Prices vary. Patrick Ranch Museum, 10381 Midway, Chico Halfway between Chico and Durham, (530) 342-4359.
STANSBURY HOME DICKENS’ CHRISTMAS: Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides, entertainment, spiced cider, homemade cookies, holiday raffle and a live appearance by Mark Twain. F, 11/30, 6-9pm; Sa, 12/1, 1-8pm; Su, 12/2, 1-5pm. $2-$6. Stansbury House, 307 W. Fifth St. On the corner of Salem and 5th street, (530) 8953848.
Theater HOORAY FOR HOLYWOOD: NUNSET BLVD: See Thursday. Theatre on the Ridge Playhouse, 3735 Neal Rd. in Paradise, (530) 877-5760, www.totr.org.
OLIVER!: The California Regional Theater presents Charles Dickens’ classic with a live orchestra. F, Sa, 7:30pm; Su, 2pm through 12/16. $20. CUSD Center for the Arts, 1475 East Ave. corner of East and Ceanothus, (530) 8913050, www.crtshows.com.
Art Receptions EVERYTHING GREEN RECEPTION: Green is the theme for the latest MANAS all-medium openentry show. F, 11/30, 7pm. Manas Art Space & Gallery, 1441 C Park Ave., (530) 588-5183.