Musicians often jokingly dedicate songs to the women in the crowd in hopes of backstage action, but Mr. Lucky hosted a rare rock event Thursday night that really was all for the ladies.
Kicking off at about 9 p.m. and lasting until around midnight, four of Chico's better-know bands shared the stage as a benefit for the Chico State Women's Center. Union of the Dead, the P.A.W.N.S., The iMPs and Buffalo Creek all brought their varied styles, which blended together to form a full-frontal audio assault.
Union of the Dead started the night off with their patented style of punk rock 'n' roll to get people moving. There weren't many people moving, but rather a lot of people sitting back and watching, until a couple of punk rockers showed up and started cavorting around the floor with beer glasses in both hands.
The two tattooed hessians were late because, according to one of them, they were smuggling beer to a buddy who was working at the Thursday Night Farmer's Market. They did their best to help the band get the crowd excited and eventually teased out a few brave souls who ventured out on the open floor for some good-natured dancing.
Union of the Dead put on another good show. Anyone who hasn't seen these guys play probably doesn't get out to enough shows, but they should definitely give UOD a shot. The band's three members play psychobilly-esque punk rock that sounds a lot better than the description of their music. These guys seem to get better with every show, and the tunes off of their new record are a big improvement over their previous material. Anyone who likes no-nonsense rock 'n' roll can easily get into a UOD show.
Next up to rock the stage was the stalwart of the Chico underground scene as well as the town's most political band, the P.A.W.N.S. The frenzied punk rock that washed through the club during the P.A.W.N.S. set failed to draw much in the way of dancers, but after every song the band was enthusiastically cheered on.
Being the only female-fronted band of the night, the P.A.W.N.S. blasted out songs relevant to women's issues, as well as the usual fare or pieces about political oppression. The best-received songs were "Conformity Jane" and "Age of Convenience," and a few people in the crowd even knew the words to other songs, mouthing the lyrics while nodding their heads to the music.
Despite the band being well-liked, the dance floor was bereft of people except for a spiky-haired miscreant or two. This didn't seem to bother the P.A.W.N.S. at all, though guitarist Ray Dehated did remark between songs that "It sure is weird to play without moshers."
The dance floor filled up a little more when The iMPs took the stage. The iMPs' music was decidedly less aggressive than the other bands', providing a nice cool- down to the groovy tunes of Buffalo Creek.
The iMPs are the perfect band for fans of power-pop and indie rock. Strong distortion on bass and guitar clash with smooth vocal harmonies to form an interestingly catchy sound. The iMPs' melodies combined the sweetness of pop with the abrasive edge of punk to create infectious Weezer-like rhythms.
The crowd got much more into The iMPs than the previous two bands, as far as dancers go. Groups of movers and shakers littered the floor, and many more people were gathered in front of the stage, tapping their feet and smiling.
After UOD and the P.A.W.N.S. brought the rock to a boil and The iMPs simmered it for flavor, Buffalo Creek added the final seasoning. Nearly everyone who lurked in the back shadows of the club came forward to pack the dance floor for Buffalo Creek's set.
Buffalo Creek is the sort of band a rock fan can listen to over and over again. Their slow and smooth folkish rock hearkens back to the days of The Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Eagles — not that Buffalo Creek sounds like either of those bands, but rather it shares a common style.
The entire area in front of the stage was filled with what seemed like hundreds of dancing women, making it hard to squeeze through the crowd, let alone navigate the floor with drink in hand. Buffalo Creek once again proved people will always come out for music they can dance to.
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