2008 Woodie Awards
Tion showcases art with club atmosphere
By: Shea Cardinalli
Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Entertainment
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Hear audio from the event at the bottom of this page
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It is the closest one could get to an inner-city club in Chico except it isn't a club.
Live bands played and acrobats swung from the ceiling, but Tion isn't a bar or a gymnasium.
Tion is the latest venue to open its doors in Chico, and it opened them with style Saturday night, teasing a crowd of about 60 well past midnight. The focus was on showcasing the different types of art and entertainment Tion would foster.
Nestled deep in Chico's business district on Ivy Street, Tion is one of the many warehouses south of Park Avenue near the railroad tracks.
It is likely to be the only warehouse in the area with a 50-foot mural of a tree running all the way to the ceiling and a taco truck outside for hungry hipsters.
One would be a fool to lump Tion into a single category - it's not just the visual artwork on the walls or the enormously high ceiling that makes Tion special. The allure also lays with the abundance of multimedia capabilities and fusion of art under one roof.
Brought to life by the same people responsible for Crux Artist Collective, and namely Ty Gorton, Tion is an extension of the Crux vision that has a much larger working space for lighting and a bigger stage, said Gorton, who provides operational oversight for Tion.
The name Tion was borrowed from the last four letters of dynamic words such as reaction, solution and production, Gorton said.
Tion is an all-ages venue that does not serve alcohol, but patrons are allowed to bring their own as long as they have ID at the door.
Couches and chairs riddle the back of the warehouse, while the remnants of scaffolding from the last two months of work provide an excellent vantage point where several patrons sat throughout the evening.
To make the night interesting and entertaining, Gorton and his assistant Davis Carlson guided the audience through transitional periods between spoken word and live performances.
Some performances included beat-box and freestyle rap battles and fashion art dynamo Chikoko featured actors performing aerial maneuvers suspended some 15 feet off the ground from curtainlike suspensions.
Carlson played the role of the "dapper Theodore Alexander III." His skepticism attempted to replicate what a crowd wary of the new venue might be thinking.
"I see you have some trays of food and beverage, but where's the frit frat? Do you have anything to show me entertainmentwise?" Carlson said.
"How about poetry, do you like poetry?" replied Gorton just before a spoken-word segue.
Dressed in a slick black suit and top hat, Carlson played the part of an inpatient snub nose well, with Gorton acting as his chauffeur, enticing his attention and acceptance of Tion.
Most of the duo's performance was improvised, Carlson said.
Part of Tion's appeal is that there aren't many other venues in Chico as accepting and nurturing of the arts.
"I like the diversity here, whatever you express is accepted so it's a wonderful opportunity for self-expression," audience member Jessica Rios said.
The venue is new, but that didn't mean anyone got a free ride. Tickets were $10 at the door, and at least six people unable to come up with the cash stood outside.
Unlike some grand openings, where admission is free to create buzz, Tion staff scorned those with little or no money by turning them away, even if they could come up with at least half.
There were a few hiccups here and there involving microphones and dead batteries, but by and large the volume level and sound quality of even the loudest bands, including La Fin Du Monde, were acceptable.
Even more impressive were the transitions between audio and video segments. There were no loud pops or technical difficulties that are typical of hokey bar setups.
Despite the streamlined sequence of events, there were no rehearsals and much of the acoustic tweaking was done on the fly, said sound engineer Adam White of DiAcoustic Audio.
White was able to adjust sound levels on the fly as the masses of bodies shifted throughout the room, which created a successful show, he said.
Eleven years of experience has taught White that large venues and big crowds can account for constant sound fluctuations, he said.
Tion has many shows planned for the future, but they are likely to be lower key by concentrating on only certain conduits such as video production and screenings.
Shea Cardinalli can be reached at
scardinalli@theorion.com
Opening speech
Pat Hull Band clip one
Pat Hull Band clip two
La Fin Du Monde clip one
La Fin Du Monde clip two
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