Featured Events in El Chico in April 2025 (May Updated)

Outpatient Records and Argus Bar Present: a night of hypnotic music and cultural fusion with Etran de L’Aïr of Agadez with Maya Ongaku (Japan) at Argus Bar Chico on 4/14/25 Etran de L’Aïr (or “stars of the Aïr region”) welcomes you to Agadez, the capital city of Saharan rock. Playing for over 25 years, Etran has emerged as stars of the local wedding circuit. Beloved for their dynamic repertoire of hypnotic solos and sun schlazed melodies, Etran stakes out a place for Agadez guitar music. Playing a sound that invokes the desert metropolis, “Agadez” celebrates the sounds of all the dynamism of a hometown wedding. Etran is a family band composed of brothers and cousins, all born and raised in the small neighborhood of Abalane, just in the shadow of the grand mosque. Sons of nomadic families that settled here in the 1970s fleeing the droughts, they all grew up in Agadez. The band was formed in 1995 when current band leader Moussa “Abindi” Ibra was only 9 years old. “We only had one acoustic guitar,” he explains, “and for percussion, we hit a calabash with a sandal.” Over the decades, the band painstakingly pieced together gear to form their band and built an audience by playing everywhere, for everyone. “It was difficult. We would walk to gigs by foot, lugging all our equipment, carrying a small PA and guitars on our backs, 25 kilometers into the bush, to play for free…there’s nowhere in Agadez we haven’t played.” From the days of the Trans-Saharan caravan in the 14th century to a modern-day stopover for Europe-bound migrants, Agadez is a city that stands at the crossroads, where people and ideas come together. Understandably, it’s here where one of the most ambitious Tuareg guitar has taken hold. Agadez’s style is the fastest, with frenetic electric guitar solos, staccato crash of full drum kits, and flamboyant dancing guitarists. Agadez is the place where artists come to cut their teeth in a lucrative and competitive winner-take-all scene. Guitar bands are an integral part of the social fabric, playing in weddings, baptisms, and political rallies, as well as the occasional concert. Whereas other Tuareg guitarists look to Western rock, Etran de L’Aïr play in a pan-African style that is emblematic of their hometown, citing a myriad of cultural influences, from Northern Malian blues, Hausa bar bands, to Congolese Soukous. It’s perhaps this quality that makes them so beloved in Agadez. “We play for the Tuareg, the Toubou, the Zarma, the Hausa,” Abindi explains. “When you invite us, we come and play.” Their music is rooted in celebration, and invokes the exuberance of an Agadez wedding, with an overwhelming abundance of guitars, as simultaneous solos playfully pass over one another with a restrained precision, forceful yet never overindulgent. Recorded at home in Agadez with a mobile studio, their eponymous album stays close to the band’s roots. Over a handful of takes, in a rapid-fire recording session, “Agadez” retains all the energy of a party. Their message too is always close to home. Tchingolene (“Tradition”) recalls the nomad camps, with a modern take on traditional takamba rhythms transposed to guitars. The dreamy ballad Toubouk Ine Chihoussay (“The Flower of Beauty”) dives into call and response lyrics, and solos that dance effortlessly over the frets. On other tracks like Imouwizla (“Migrants”), Etran addresses immigration with the driving march parallels the nomads’ plight with travelers crossing the desert for Europe. Yet even at its most serious, Etran’s music is engaged and dynamic, reminding us that music can transmit a message while lighting up a celebration. This is music for dancing, after all. Information Source: Outpatient Records | eventbrite

KZFR 90.1 FM Chico proudly presents: BEEtKEEPERS & Wolfthump with special guest Joe Craven—live at the Chico Women’s Club on Friday, April 18th! Get ready for an unforgettable night of jazz, funk, and high-energy grooves! Headlining the evening, BEEtKEEPERS will bring their signature sound, blending deep rhythms and infectious energy to keep you moving all night long. The groove continues with Wolfthump , an all-drum powerhouse guaranteed to ignite the dance floor from the first beat. And to make the night even more special, the legendary Joe Craven will join BOTH bands, adding his unique musical magic to the mix. Information Source: KZFR 90.1FM | eventbrite

Canaan Smith is taking the next bold step in his journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance with his third studio album, ‘Chickahominy.’ ‘Chickahominy’ marks a significant departure from his earlier work - “I consider this my transitional album,” says Smith. “It’s about exploring myself creatively and cutting ties with the inherent striving for commercial success. Instead of focusing on ‘what will work,’ I’m now more focused on expressing myself, and this is only the first step in that direction." Throughout 11 tracks, which were all written or co-written by Smith and produced by Anthony Olympia, the album is a raw and fearless expression of who Smith is now, both musically and personally. Peeling back the layers of perfectionism and confronting the parts of himself he’s long been afraid to face, this new album will show a deeper side and let the audience get to know ‘the real’ Canaan Smith. “It’s my most song-forward album yet,” he says. "It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, just like my mind. One minute I’m carefree and stoned, and the next I’m worried to death. Sonically, it’s the most explorative album I’ve ever made. We let the band breathe, no click track, just a more natural, organic flow. As an artist, what I want most is to let myself breathe.” Named after a river in his hometown of Williamsburg, VA, ‘Chickahominy’ finds Smith stretching beyond his past limitations, sonically, lyrically and thematically. The powerful storyteller draws listeners into a world where the boundaries of good and evil collide, as he discovers the multitudes of the human experience. Tickets are $35 in Advance or $40 at the door. Must be 21+ to attend. Local Support TBA. Information Source: Tackle Box Chico | eventbrite

5:30PM EARLY ACCESS | 6:00pm GA Doors | 7:00pm Show With a signature sound signified by lockstep rhythms & a deep grasp of soul and funk, ORGŌNE has built a reputation over the past 2 decades as being one of the tightest, fieriest live bands in the country & a top notch crew in the studio. On their new album “Lost Knights”, ORGŌNE offer up a collection of heavy-duty psychedelic funk-rock anthems created to be played loud and raucously. Information Source: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | eventbrite