Just when you think Chico’s pretty hip musically, they go and dump a big basket of disrespect over an artist like Shelby Lynne last weekend.
Lynne may have busted through in mainstream country-pop, but she evolved into a totally cool artist who has snubbed the wishes of major record labels and commercial radio to do her own thing. She’s explored western swing, big-band jazz, rock, R&B and traditional country. She’s done a tribute album to Dusty Springfield, joined top artists in New York in a tribute to John Lennon, sold out Carnegie Hall, collaborated with the likes of Marc Cohn, Lucinda Williams, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
She’s an excellent rhythm guitar player, a quality songwriter and tremendous singer. She’s beautiful and hip.
So when I hear that 75 people showed up to see her at the El Rey Theater and that she got heckled and talked over, it’s a total head-scratcher to me. A bad show can happen to anybody and poor promotion can set the table for that. But sometimes people just don’t get it. I’m assuming it has something to do with preconceived ideas mixed with an odd type of narcissism.
Anyway, it sounds like Shelby Lynne deserved better. That night it was the Smell Rey Theater.
Maybe the Sierra Nevada Brewery should bring her back for a proper show. I’d pay to see her at the Cascade Theatre.
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Speaking of the Big Room (what a room for a show!) at Sierra Nevada Brewery, soon to be appearing there:
• The Chris Cain Band & Ron Thompson, Tuesday, May 11. Top shelf blues. ($22)
• The Greencards, Monday, May 24. World-Class Accoustic Music ($20)
• Robben Ford with Renegade Creation (Michael Landau, Jimmy Haslip and Gary Novak), Monday, June 14. ($25) Tickets go on sale on May 15 and this one will sell out quickly.
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The North Valley Art League will have a reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at its Carter House Gallery in Redding’s Caldwell Park for its annual NVAL Juried Photography Show.
The show will run through May 29 and many top photographers from our region are displaying their work. The show is being judged by Harvey Spector and Richard Wilson. For more information, call 243-1023.
This year’s show has attracted 237 photographs (from 68 artists throughout the region).
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Steve Hermann of the band Gunshy sent out this e-mail recently:
“How have you lived in Redding? I was just passing through in 1986. Do you remember those days?
We had three hotels on Hilltop with entertainment 5 or 6 nights a week, Doc’s was going strong, the OK Corral was buzzing, the Moose lodge had a band every weekend, not to mention the Saddlehorn, the Derringer, and the Saloon.
Those days are gone.
But it’s not the end of the trail.”
Hermann just wanted to remind folks that he’s still performing on Wednesday nights at the Red Lion Inn. He says come on down and dine, dance and drink with him. He also performs on Thursdays at the Showboat Lounge.
Jim Dyar is a news, arts and entertainment journalist for A News Cafe and the former arts and entertainment editor for the Record Searchlight’s D.A.T.E. section. Jim is also a songwriter and leader of the Jim Dyar Band. He lives in Redding. E-mail him at jimd.anewscafe@gmail.com.
