You can thank the South by Southwest spillover for a couple of cool concerts stopping in the Valley tonight:
In Fresno: Rock vocalist Jonny Craig -- best known for singing with Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa -- is playing Starline.
In Visalia: Surfer Blood is riding high after getting pegged as a band-of-the-moment, and profiled in the New York Times. The band is at Howie & Son's with Turbo Fruits (who you might have seen in "Whip It.")
Jonny Craig. What a trainwreck!
He was drunk as can be. Got on stage, started a song, then stopped and talked for about 20 minutes, apologizing, then giving the crowd a diatribe about how he does this for himself and if you don't like it, EFF YOU. Then he had the crowd sit down. Some of his band just walked off the stage. Then he started the same song again with just a guitarist, but walked into the crowd and pulled the mic cord out and couldn't fix it. Sound guy fixes it.
Then he mumbles for another 10 minutes, then says he'll take five questions from the crowd. Has them stand back up. First question was "Are you going to sing another song?" "NO controversial questions! Eff you all! I'm sorry...I'm sorry." Then a story about getting some Canadian girl pregnant and they break up then he wrote a song for her and he's gonna sing it now...and it's the SAME SONG he started twice already.
Got through that song...but half the crowd left.
Then blathers some more, more drunk apologies. The band guys have a drink next door and then try to get him off-stage but Jonny's too busy asking the crowd if they love him, making them scream for him. Band guys ask sound guy if Starline can make an announcement about curfew to get Jonny off stage.
Sound guy brings house lights up, Jonny says "No, bring the lights down...all the lights. Stage lights too." Lights completely out, Jonny tries one more song, but 1/4 way through he demands the crowd shut up, but they won't, so he storms off the stage, calling the crowd disrespectful.
HEEE!!!
Spends the rest of the night outside bitching about how terrible Fresno is...
Wait. Did I forget to mention the part where he asked audience members to come up on stage and sing whatever they wanted? Before cutting them off?
Two wonderful words: Train. Wreck.
I couldn't look away. Poor promoters....
Awesome Stephen. I was also at the Train wreck last night. I left early due to the Disrespect and unprofessionalism of Jonny Craig. I give Tides of Man and Eye Alaska credit for putting up with such a Douche bag. Jonny needs to realize his fan-base is a bunch of young kids. I talked to a dad that brought his 12 year old daughter, how do you think he felt? Didn't know i was watching a half as tallented Jim Morrison last night. LOL. Tides of man should just cover all of Jonny's songs!!!