Cookin' with Food

"Don't let this intimidate you," I ordered as I pushed my handheld tape recorder in Brian's face. Much giggling. "I prefer not being recorded," laughed the interviewee.

There are a few duties involved when you call shotgun; as co-pilot of my vehicle you are in charge of navigation, radio station selection, and are object of my spastic craziness.

"Hey, this car is under 24-hour surveillance for your protection." The band being reassured, we drove in my beat-up Toyota over to Safeway in order to pick up some ingredients for the evening's meal. The employee at the counter was particularly punchy, telling us "May God help you through life," as we fumbled through the process of getting change. I didn't realize just what she said until we were almost out of the store. "Did she actually say that?"

What better way to get to know Food, one of Chico's quirkiest bands, than to cook up some vittles and drink some beer with them. I was planning on having the whole band over, but it was not to be. Their bass player, Bill Sanders, moved to San Francisco a few months back and couldn't make it. Vocalist/cornet player Casey was expected to show, but had been having some stomach problems. "Explosive gas," offered Brian, Food's vocalist/guitar player. So Brian, drummer/vocalist Tyler, and myself began preparations for the creation of lasagna.

"The coolest thing about your band is that you guys all sing. Like, there's no other Band in Chico that does that," I commented as I assigned tasks: Tyler was to chop garlic, Brian was in charge of onions. One of the most distinguishing aspects of Food's sound is the multitude of complementary vocalists. All the band members take turns with lead responsibilities as well as backing harmonies, giving the jazz-tinged pop rock songs a rich texture. "It takes a lot of work," explained Tyler as we dumped the half clove of garlic and two small onions into a tablespoon of hot olive oil. We then added a 28 oz. can of stewed tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste, a teaspoon of oregano, salt, pepper and basil, and set the stove to medium-low.

"How did you guys meet each other?" I asked.

"Sex appeal - I was really attracted to Bill and Tyler," joked Brian. "Actually I was at a random party and I saw Casey there, and I had an art class with him, and I was like, 'lets start a band.' I figured Casey's a nice guy, and it'd be fun to play with him. He came over, and originally he was going to play guitar, but he wasn't very good at it, so I was like 'bring your cornet over,' 'cause I knew he played cornet. So he brought that over, and he brought Bill over too."

"Bill was his roommate, and apparently they had been in a band together before…" explained Tyler. Brian, Casey and Bill eventually met Tyler through a mutual friend of theirs, and solidified the lineup.

"We couldn't think of a name, and they (Casey and Bill) were in a band before called Food and they did like Weird Al Yankovic covers and bluegrass stuff. Is this my beer?" Brian only had one beer that night, but we won't hold that against him.

"Word just kind of got around, people were just offering us opening gigs. Electric Circus was really good, helping us get going by offering gigs to help us get our name out. I think we did kinda get pegged as a hippie band right off the bat because we were kinda linked to that scene." Tyler was busily grating the pound of Mozzarella cheese with expert efficiency. It seems that I had chosen the right band to help me cook.

"We'd love to be able to choreograph stupid dance moves." Food's live shows are just plain fun. The music has that sound that makes you want to get on the dance floor and shake yer booty, but more in a snazzy jazz way than a hippie way. Their music is tight, and their shows are highly entertaining.

"Casey is brilliant that way. One show we were just starting out, and he whips out - what's the name of that Transformer that's a truck?"

"Optimus Prime," answers the sage-like Tyler.

"Optimus Prime. He lifts it up to the crowd like this (think Statue of Liberty), then he turns around and is like fiddling with it so his back is turned, then he turns back around (majestically raising the transformed big-rig), and everyone's all, 'Wooooh!! It was really stupid, but it totally worked." Yes, the stage antics are wacky, but it's the great music that keeps the crowd coming back for more.

One thing that concerns the band is the way that people perceive them - they don't mind being categorized, but the Hippie Jam Band moniker doesn't quite suit them. "It doesn't piss me off or anything, I just don't think it's a really accurate portrayal of what we're all about." responded Tyler. "[We're] pop, but not in the bad sense. I think there's been a stigma about pop music in the last few years. Pop rock used to have a different meaning than it does now. It doesn't change the music, though; I mean, the Beatles were the epitome of pop, so in that sense we are pop rock," elaborated the drummer, as vegetables were being defrosted.

"The one thing that makes anything taste better is when you stir it all the time. I'm a firm believer in that," I commented as I poured some of my Butte Creek Golden Ale in the sauce.

"Beer is good for anything," observed Brian as he stirred. "Especially driving."

"And sex," I added. The Synthesis had hooked us up with beer, and I was quickly escaping sobriety.

When the noodles were done, we built the lasagna; sauce, noodles, vegetables, cheese, noodles, vegetables, sauce, noodles and cheese, then into the oven, set at 350 degrees, for twenty minutes. Soon enough dinner was ready, and after burning my hands on the hot pan, we sat down to eat and talk about their upcoming show.

Friday November 17^th, Food will be headlining at LaSalle's with openers The Pilgrims, and I'm sure it will be something that you won't want to miss - care-free fun is a guarantee.

"I think we make the audience have a pretty good time. Plus its LaSalle's on a Friday night - it's gonna be good." If you've yet to check out Food you don't want to miss this opportunity, so don't forget your dancing shoes.

Find out more fascinating tidbits of information at Food's Web site, www.foodtheband.com

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