Laundry, M.I.R.V. & the iMPS

Usually, there are about two or three really great shows in this town every semester, and unfortunately, they go largely unnoticed by the general public. Juanita's used to be the home of the best show no one ever heard of, and now that dubious distinction is up for grabs. One of that main reasons that great shows go over hard in this town is because people don't know what they're missing, simply because they don't know anything about the bands that are playing, Of course, no one is going to have that problem tomorrow night at the Brickworks, when Laundry and M.I.R.V. bring veteran Bay Area rock to the Velveeta city and play with local rock heroes The iMPS.

Haven't heard of Laundry? Well, perhaps you've heard of Primus, and its former drummer Tim Alexander. Alexander left Primus last year to pursue his own thing, and that thing is Laundry. With this group, the music is a bit more up Alexander's alley, a bit more down-to-earth and a bit more organic. Alexander covers both singing and drumming duties, and is backed up by guitar player Tom Butler and bassist Ian Varielle, the latter playing a guitar-like rig called a Chapman stick. This set is a good chance to see one of rock's best drummers do his thing, and the guys that are backing him up are worth seeing too. Their music is not the crazy punk/funk fusion Alexander was known for, but more cerebral rock, deeper in tone and steady.

M.I.R.V. seems to be constantly on the road in support of its last release, Feeding Time on Monkey Island (please see CD review, this issue) and that's plenty good. M.I.R.V. shows are always a party, and the band is usually the life of said party, on and off stage. This infectious brand of rock has started mosh pits as well as filled dance floors, and while the music is not anything like indie-rock, the ethics are. The band owns its own label, Poison Eye Records, on which it is the only act. The band handles its own press, its own booking and anything else it has to do to get by, and has even managed to finagle a BAMMIE award. This is rock for all those who actually feel the music and have fun with it.

Warming up the crowd for the out-of-towners are Chico locals The iMPS. This trio is slowly but surely progressing in the game of music, patiently building a local following and getting ready to expand its fan base beyond Chico. The iMPS rocked the house so hard during the opening set for the last Floater show that drummer Scott Lehman actually broke his snare drum. The iMPS present well-written pop songs in the context of loud, sonic emanations that appeal to everyone from the most pompous indie-rocker to hard-core mullet-heads, rounding out the bill for one of the best shows to roll through town this semester. With the knowledge and the power, even this town's most apathetic, beer-guzzling couch-surfer can't stay away from this show. Tickets are $5, $4 with a student ID; 18 and over; doors open at 9 p.m.

-Max Sidman

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