Fresno’s biggest music festival is back for its fifth year next month. That’s the Fresno Urban Sound Experience, or simply Fuse Fest, happening Sept. 6-8.
Donald filled you in on ArtHop for tonight, but here’s something else I wanted to draw peoples’ attention to: The new and improved block of businesses near the Warnors Theatre and the happenings they’re bringing with them.
ORLA FALLON: If you remember the group Celtic Woman, then you probably remember Fallon. She was a vocalist with the Irish group — popular with the PBS crowd — but since has branched off into a solo career and has had her own PBS special. Catch her tonight at Tower Theatre. [More info]
1. GET FOXY
The boys from Shiver Fox are having their big CD release bash Saturday night at Tower Theatre. If you like vintage rock with a raucous twist, you’ll like these guys. They’re definitely a local band on the movie, so check ‘em out. Read more in today’s music roundup.
The all-female trio (made up of sisters Nina and Phanie Diaz and their friend Jenn Alva) has a few claims to fame — they were cherry picked by Joan Jett for her Blackheart Records label, and have toured extensively with Morrissey. That’s especially cool since the band’s name is inspired by one of his songs.
Most recently, Girl in a Coma released a series of EPs called “Adventures in Coverland,” featuring their take on songs by a diverse list of artists, including Joy Division, Selena, The Beatles and Ritchie Valens.
Another all-female group Agent Ribbons is also on the bill, as are a couple others. Tickets cost $8. Showtime is 8 p.m. Once the show is done, there’s an after party at Audie’s:
I think I had one of the best weekends of the summer, and it was mostly in downtown Fresno. The Central California Invitational Rib Cook-off was a big success in numbers — drawing 10,000. I had a good time out there grubbin’. Sure, the food was a little pricey and the waits were a little long. But I suppose that beats the alternative of nobody being there. I hope it comes back next year bigger and better.
Here’s a video I put together from my rib journey on Saturday. Anybody try anything that was really yummy and care to share? Also: Anybody heard who won?
1. SEE MAYER HAWTHORNE IN FRESNO — FINALLY
A lot of people have been waiting patiently for Mayer Hawthorne to perform in Fresno. Like a year. That was because the retro soul-singing phenom canceled a much-anticipated Fresno show last summer because of strep throat. Well, he’s here on Saturday night, playing at Frank’s Place. If you still haven’t jumped on the Mayer bandwagon, check out “Maybe So, Maybe No” and “Your East Loving Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’”. You still got a chance to win tickets from us here. Or buy them at Ticketfly.
UPDATE: Congrats to our winner — Jason Encinia. Thanks to everybody else for playing.
ORIGINAL POST: Fresno is in for a treat on Saturday night when Mayer Hawthorne comes to town for a gig at Frank’s Place.
For the uninitiated: Hawthorne is a white guy from Michigan who makes soul music like it’s still the Motown era.
Sure, after Amy Winehouse, it’s a tad gimmicky, but there’s no arguing with his great debut album, “A Strange Arrangement,” which was one of my person faves of 2009.
To make this whole thing even sweeter — one lucky Beehive reader will get in FREE. Yep, a sweet night of soul music and no cash out of your pocket. You can double thank promoter Love the Captive, who is bringing Hawthorne to town and giving up the free tix.
Of course you want to enter, so just leave a comment below and tell us your favorite soul song of all time. Easy enough, right? Deadline to enter is 4 p.m. Friday. We’ll pick one winner at random and notify that person be e-mail, so leave a real one and check it. No repeat comments please. You’re ineligible if you’ve won something in the past 30 days.
Complete rules — and one of my favorite Hawthorne jams — are on the jump.
If all of that is too seedy for ya, then Northpointe Community Church has the uplifting Christian rock sounds of the David Crowder* Band. (No, we don’t know what’s up with the asterisk either). The band was last in Fresno to play the Rock and Worship Roadshow at Save Mart Center.
UPDATE: Our winner is Cyndi. Congrats! Thanks for playing everyone.
ORIGINAL POST: Wednesday night, Frank’s Place hosts folk singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons. It’s not going to one of those nights of indie music where the sweaty kids are dancing and jumping around.
No, it’ll be a little more mellow. Fitzsimmons is one of those performers who demands your attention — maybe it’s because of his jumps-right-at-you beard, or his hauntingly evocative songs.
Tickets to see him cost $15 … or, you can win a pair here courtesy of show promoter Love the Captive. Just comment below to enter yourself into our random drawing.
Deadline to enter is 10 a.m. Wednesday. Winners will be notified by e-mail, so leave a real one and check it. No repeat comments. You’re ineligible if you’ve won something in the past 30 days. Rules are on the jump.
Looking to up your hipster cred? The cool show to be at tonight is the Memoryhouse and Baths performance at Frank’s Place.
Memoryhouse has had a busy summer, sharing stages around the globe with a few people you might have heard of — Grizzly Bear, The Arcade Fire and some dude named Jay-Z.
Memoryhouse is a Canadian duo that plays a pretty mellow and warm mix of indie and electronica. Pitchfork has an interview with the band, who it pegged as a “Rising” talent.
Also on the bill is Baths, which is a little more in the electronica realm. Maybe we can call Baths “digital pop,” or something like that.
Show is at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $8. Hit up Love the Captive for more info.
How cool is Avi Buffalo? Cool enough to be playing upcoming concerts with My Morning Jacket, Wilco and Sonic Youth. Cool enough to get signed by uber-cool indie label Sub Pop Records.
Not bad for a band fronted by a just-out-of-high-school kid from Long Beach.
Avi Buffalo (named for frontman/kid Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg) makes its Fresno debut tonight, playing at Frank’s Place with the ever-buzzed about local band Fierce Creatures starting things off. (Avi Buffalo played Visalia last year, you might recall).
And yes, it’s at Frank’s Place but don’t worry, it’s not those promoters. This is a Love the Captive show and they take good care of Fresno.
It sounds like things got UGLY Saturday night at Frank’s Place, where Faster Pussycat and L.A. Guns were supposed to take the stage. Numerous people are telling us the show’s promoter — IQ Promotions — ran off with the door money and the headlining bands then refused to play because they hadn’t been paid.
You might have already seen the upset comments coming into The Beehive. I’ve gotten a good number of phone calls and e-mails in addition to those. From all of it, I’ve been able to piece together this rundown of the events:
About 150 people (at $20 per ticket) were at the show. It started fine, and the local bands performed as scheduled. Before the headliners went on, IQ’s Heather Porter, who had been working the door, left with the money. John Corabi, the first of the headliners, played his set. As the next bands were setting up, they came out and said they weren’t going to be playing. In addition, I’m told that neither sound nor security got paid — and somebody even left with the headlining bands’ merchandise money.
I tried to reach out to Porter for her side of the story. I called her phone numerous times, but it goes directly to a voicemail that says it isn’t receiving messages. I sent her an e-mail that she hasn’t responded to in 24 hours. The MySpace page used by IQ Promotions has been deleted. And there’s a Craigslist ad by Porter’s husband’s former band looking for a replacement and saying they were “totally screwed” too.
When you’re not hiding from that looming 106-degree heat …
1. GO GLOBAL Ana Tijoux enters Fresno this weekend with a good amount of buzz. She had the single of the week on iTunes this week for her “1977.” She’s a female rapper from South America who has been performing in big cities all over the country — and she’s in Fresno on Sunday, playing at Frank’s Place. Yay us.
If you can’t make it tonight, know there are some more interesting LTC x Frank’s Place gigs coming up, including Ana Tijoux (Sunday), Avi Buffalo (7/21) and Memoryhouse/Baths (7/28).
ELSEWHERE
There are fliers below for some other stuff happening tonight, including an appearance by 2 a.m. Orchestra at Audie’s Olympic. I’ll have more on that show in a bit.
Is it just me, or do you feel a bit lost today? Three-day weekend hangover will do that to ya. Thing is, we’re at the start of quite a big week for music. So I figured this would help get everybody back to speed.
ROSIE FLORES
So I goofed in last week’s issue of 7, and wrote the wrong day for rockabilly queen Rosie Flores‘ Fresno stop this week. She’s playing Wednesday night at Audie’s Olympic, not Thursday, like I wrote. Flores is so cool that she has her own day in Austin, Tx. (take that, Taylor Swift) and she’s a member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame.
ADMIRAL RADLEY
If you like either Grandaddy or Earlimart, there’s a good chance you’re going to like Admiral Radley. The band includes members of both bands, including Earlimart’s Aaron Espinoza, who is a Fresno boy. Grandaddy is from Modesto, so there’s definitely some Central Valley love infused in the project. In fact, the band named its first album, “I Heart California.” You can get a listen from NPR. Admiral Radley is playing Friday at The Cellar Door in Visalia, then Saturday at Frank’s Place in Fresno.
If you’ve been hearing a bunch about this local band Fierce Creatures — and it would be hard to miss all the hype — then tonight is your chance to see the grand unveiling of their new EP, as Fresno’s hippest band of the moment headlines Frank’s Place.
If you want to get a taste of the Fierce Creatures sound, we have a free mp3 you can download, or you can hit up KFSR to hear them play unplugged.
Tonight’s show is at 8 and open to all ages. Achievement House and Albatross the Musical open. Cover is $5. The band’s EP, “I Mostri Feroci,” will be available for $5 too.
Hip-hoppers, it’s your chance to check out Frank’s Place. Bay Area hip-hop group Zion I is in town and playing downtown Fresno’s coolest new music venue. Sharing the stage with them are local rhyme slingers Grafik Ruffin and Iceman.
Zion I is a pretty positive hip-hop group, with enough across-the-board appeal to work with both Brother Ali and Mistah F.A.B. Here’s one of my favorite Zion I cuts from years ago, and another more recent one after that. Show flier with all the details is at the bottom.
This weekend brought a few new adventures for me — so I’m calling this the “Virgin Excursions” edition of Weekend Rewind. In the “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” spirit, go ahead and tell me about your adventures in the comments.
FRIDAY
It was A.C.’s Comedy Connection’s second show, but my first time checking out on of their offerings. It was definitely a good time and there was a good crowd there. Brian Scolaro was my favorite of the night. Once-local guy Darren Carter also performed, and I tried to grab the “Fresno-y” part of his routine (warning: some language NSFW). My biggest complaint about the show — as you’ll hear in the video — is that too many people in the bar area wouldn’t STFU.
It’s a big weekend, Fresnans. Lots to do. Here’s some of the best stuff. Be sure to check out today’s Post No Bills in a few hours for a more complete look at weekend happenings. Hopefully you get out there and have some fun.
1. FIND HIPSTER HEAVEN AT FRANK’S PLACE
There’s a lot of hype about this weekend’s shows at Frank’s Place, the music club next to Warnors Theatre (and below Star Palace). This weekend is pretty much its coming out party.
Promoters Love the Captive will have a strong hold over that place in the coming months, and their first batch of shows is this weekend — with indie rock band Radar Bros. tonight and a big Saturday show with electro-rock band Head Like a Kite and girl pop group Smoosh. The shows are open to all ages.
Fresno, you’re getting another shot at Mayer Hawthorne. Or Mayer is getting another shot at us — however you’d like to look at it. Hawthorne, the retro soul singer hip in tuned-in music circles, was supposed to play Fresno last September. The show was nearly sold out, then he canceled because of strep throat, on the day of the show.
Word comes today that he’s coming to make it up for us — playing Aug. 21 at Frank’s Place. Tickets cost $10 in advance and $15 at the door. They’ll go on sale next week at lovethecaptive.com.
The project is trying to bring new life to each venue, including a good list of shows that have been booked between now and November. Swing big-band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and popular Christian trio Point of Grace have been booked for November dates at Warnors, while Star Palace is starting a summer concert series that will have young rock bands and singer/songwriters playing on Friday nights Artists such as Seventh Day Slumber, JJ Heller and Lybecker are due for that.
Also exciting is that dynamo local promoters Love the Captive — who have brought Little Dragon and others to town — have signed on to book shows at Frank’s Place and Star Palace. In fact, I’m told that LTC is moving its June 26 date with Head Like a Kite from Starline to Frank’s Place.
