In the wee hours of Dec. 4, two members of the Beat Farmers and two of the band's roadies were victims of a vicious, unprovoked attack outside an all-night Chevron station in Chico, south of Redding. The assault came shortly after the quartet finished playing a gig at the Blue Max, a club on the same street as the station.
Reportedly, guitarist Joey Harris had retired to his hotel room and drummer Country Dick Montana had stayed behind to talk with fans at the club when guitarist Jerry Raney, bassist Rolle Love and roadies Tom Aames and Craig Apelman pulled the band's van into the gas station. Moments after they entered the station's mini-mart, the van's alarm went off and Love went out to investigate.
The police report gave the following description of events: Love was confronted by Michael A. Mahon, 23, who was "angry about something and very drunk." Love and Mahon scuffled, and several of Mahon's companions joined in, one of them knocking Love down with a blind-side punch. Aames and Apelman entered the fray, followed by Raney.
Most severely injured in the ensuing brawl was Raney, who rushed Aames' assailant from behind, only to be flipped over the man's head, according to police. The guitarist landed head-first on the pavement, losing consciousness. While he was out, Raney was kicked several times in the head, allegedly by Rob A. Gage, 22, and suffered a massive hematoma, cuts that required stitches to an ear and under one eye, and some nerve damage. Aames and Love suffered minor cuts and bruises.
Reporting Officer John Fossett of the Chico Police Department said that, out of 14 people involved in the melee, only Mahon and Gage--both students at Chico State University--were arrested at the scene. Mahon was charged with battery; Gage was charged with assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly kicking Raney in the head. Police reportedly turned another member of the Mahon-Gage entourage over to the military when a routine computer check showed that he was absent without leave from the Marine Corps.
The recuperating members of the band have been keeping a relatively low profile since the incident, which caused the cancellation of the last four dates on the tour. Asked about the attack while he was finishing his Christmas shopping Sunday, Montana treated the subject with characteristic good humor.
