It’s not that I’m hoping downtown Redding becomes an absolute replica of downtown Chico (although some may argue that wish). It was, however, quite encouraging to sense a pulse to Redding on Saturday night.
Chico has a ton of bars and a ton of college students. It’s also had some very weighty problems with the combination of youth-meets-alcohol-meets-aggression. Halloween used to be completely out of control there, and I’ve witnessed near-riot conditions on St. Patrick’s Day. (The Chico Police have cracked down, and the situation has subsided in recent years.)
I bring up Chico, because more bars and more youth doesn’t automatically equate to a great cultural scene. A more balanced variety of offerings seems a much better goal to shoot for.
So often, however, I’ve seen downtown Redding become an absolute ghost town after 10 p.m., and that scares me for a different reason. I’ve walked around wondering if I’m Will Smith in “I Am Legend.” Did zombies eat everyone? Is everyone in a city of 90,000 asleep right now?
I didn’t get around everywhere on Saturday night, but I did witness a very hip, relaxed scene at the new Downtown Eatery on Market Street. I was there to play rhythm guitar in a band led by alt-country songwriter Brendon Alvord. I guess we were one of the city’s late-night offerings, because we didn’t get started until after 10 p.m.
Prior to that gig, I stopped into the Vintage Wine Bar and Restaurant (where Slam Buckra and MacKenzie Hughes were playing music to a nice sized audience). On the way there, I noticed a fellow carrying guitar cases toward the new Johnny’s Cathouse on California Street, which has had lines out the door each weekend.
I think my ship has sailed (read: I’m too old) as far as being a guy who will frequent Johnny’s on the weekends. I’ve been in there on a slow weeknight to watch a baseball game and I must say, the place has a pleasing aesthetic in terms of design. I’ve heard the terms “hootchies” and “wanna-be gangstas” used in describing that scene, but hey, like I said, a variety of offerings…
I saw two friends of mine riding their bikes from Old City Hall where they had just attended the last showing at the annual Silent Film Festival. (My immediate thought was, oh no! I meant to catch at least a little bit of that festival. Apparently it was a success, and Berkeley pianist Fredrick Hodges was brilliant.)
Anyway, there were a lot of younger people in the Downtown Eatery as well, but more a mix of ages, and I felt comfortable there. The food looked great (and the one bite of chicken I had was excellent). We felt that people were listening to and appreciating the music.
I plan to return to the Downtown Eatery this week for lunch. Any recommendations?
And what are your thoughts on how the cultural scene in Redding should develop? Anything happening on the east side of the river at night?
