While pondering a downtown public market.
1. HAVE AN UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT
NYC hip-hop duo Camp Lo — famous for their stellar 1997 album, “Uptown Saturday Night” — are at Fulton 55 on Saturday as part of the anniversary tour for the album. It’s a cool gig, particularly if you’ve never seen “Luchini” pour from the sky. [More]
So long as we’re all still here, right?
1. SAY HAPPY 15TH TO KUPPAJOE
All-ages music club Kuppajoe celebrates its 15-year anniversary tonight with a hard rockin’ show featuring Phinehas and many others. Check out my feature on Kuppajoe’s anniversary. [More]
Other than taking the new downtown ice rink for a spin or watching the Veterans Day parade.
1. SWEDE IT UP
Swede Fest is bigger and better, back for its 10th installment Sunday. It’s happening at Tower Theatre, a dream realized for organizers of this quirky film festival. It showcases low-budget parodies made by everyone from average joes to seasoned pros. Creativity, ingenuity and a sense of humor are king at Swede Fest, so you never know what you’re going to see. It’s free and open to movie lovers of all ages. For more on Swede Fest’s growth and rise to popularity, read this Q & A with the organizers. [More]
For the next three days, the Valley won’t have a shortage of “water.” And we have a Sea of indie rock bands to thank.
Tonight, Sea Wolf makes a tour stop at Fulton 55. Then on Friday, indie vets The Sea and Cake visit The Cellar Door in Visalia. Saturday is the CD release party for local band Sea of Sound. It’s happening at Kuppajoe.
And Sunday … no Sea bands on Sunday?!? Way to mess it up, Sunday. Ah well, you’ll have to visit Avila Beach.
1. ROLL WITH THE ZOMBIES
Saturday is Fresno’s (now) annual Zombie Pub Crawl in the Tower District. You can get dressed up, hang out with a bunch of zombies and crawl from one Tower bar to the next in search of braiiiiiiiins booze. Some places, such as Babylon as you’ll see below, have their own complementing zombie events. Read more about the zombie craze here.
Besides taking advantage of Restaurant Week.
1. FROLIC FIERCELY AND FREELY ON FULTON MALL
Saturday’s Fierce Creatures album release party on the Fulton Mall is looking to be the local music event of the summer. It’s a festival with 10 bands total — including local faves such as Strange Vine and Quiet Americans, plus quality out-of-towners like The Silent Comedy. It’s also free and all ages, with a beer garden plus food from Dusty Buns, Keith’s Box Car Cafe and others. You might want to also check out this story from today’s Fresno Bee or my podcast with Fierce Creatures. [More]
This week’s Ozmosis podcast features a handful of bands you’ll see playing in Fresno and the Valley in the next 10 days, including The Violet Lights (Friday night at Audie’s Olympic), The Yawpers (Friday night at Full Circle Brewing Co.), Via Coma (Friday night at Kuppajoe), Sister Crayon (Saturday at The Cellar Door) and Audiafauna, who Twitter loved during the show Sunday night and is playing June 22 at Arte Americas. There’s also new music from Grizzly Bear, Black Box Revelation and others.
Enjoy the podcast below and tune in at 9 p.m. Sunday for a new episode of Ozmosis on New Rock 104.1.
If the above player gives you any grief, you can listen directly on Mixcloud.
DUH: It’s election day. So far, things are looking slow. [The Bee]
NEED HELP? Recommendations from The Bee’s editorial board. [The Bee]
HOW NOT TO BE MAYOR: Get arrested day before election. [The Bee]
COMING SOON: Live election day blog at 7 p.m. [Political Notebook]
BLOGGINGS: All-day news and analysis from local blogger. [The Daily Dues]
GOOD READ: Election day in California by the numbers. [Opinion Talk]
IN NON-VOTER NEWS: Pablo Sandoval joins Fresno Grizzlies tonight. [The Bee]
FAREWELL: One last visit to Cedar Lanes. [Fresno Famous]
LISTEN: Music venue Kuppajoe launches its own podcast. [Kuppajoe]
IRL STUFF: CenCal Lady Bloggers have meet-up. [The Full Moxie]
QUESTION OF THE DAY: A toll road in Los Banos? You in? [Sun-Star]
Other than taking the kids — or yourself — to “Toy Story on Ice.” Or watching that football game.
1. AMP UP THE WATTAGE
Starline has a good one on Saturday as two crowd-pleasers combine — 40 Watt Hype and Clouded Vision. p.s. It’s my favorite poster of the week. [Tickets]
Other than trying to get the “Pawn Stars” to buy your junk …
1. GROOVE WITH SAHAB
Fact: I haven’t been digging a new local artist as much as Sahab since a dude named Fashawn was coming up. Saturday night is Sahab’s album release party at Fulton 55, and it oughta signal his “arrival” on the local scene. Read more about Sahab and his electro/indie/hip-hop vocal stylings in this Q & A. [Tickets]
COMING OUR WAY: Among the bands/artists headed to Fresno this week: The “Lite” version of The Melvins (Fri. at Audie’s), Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda (Fri. at Babylon), Arizona folk/indie band Obadiah Parker (Fri at Kuppajoe), Iron Maiden tribute band Invader (Sat. at Starline) and Portland Americana/rock group Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives (Sat. at The Cellar Door).
THE SILENT COMEDY: If you follow the indie scene around here, you’ve probably heard about The Silent Comedy. They’re a San Diego band that’s been here numerous times, and each time they’re a little bit bigger. Last time, they were part of that sold-out Fierce Creatures CD release show. Now they’re back to headline Fulton 55 on Wednesday with SoCal indie cohorts Saint Motel.
SAHAB: Indie-electro-hip-hop vocalist Sahab — probably my favorite new act in town — has his album release party Saturday night at Fulton 55. Read more about Sahab in this Artist You Should Know interview.
PAWN YOUR STUFF: The dudes from America’s most famous pawn shop visit Tachi Palace in Lemoore on Sunday. The “Pawn Stars” make an appearance, and are even buying and appraising your collectibles. It’s $25 to get something appraised, $10 to see them in action. Tickets here. You should also read Rick Bentley’s interview with “Pawn Star” Rick Harrison.
SWAP YOUR GEAR: Full Circle Brewing Co. host a gear swap meet for musicians on Sunday. Got some old gear you wanna sell? Or even wanna sell your music? Bring it.
DATSIK: The star dubstep DJ arrives at Fresno’s Crest Theatre on Thursday, after a big spot at the recent Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas.
You may remember Fresno musician Rico Rodriguez as the guy whose band won the opportunity to open for Coldplay in San Jose.
Well his new band — the San Luis Obispo-based PK — is in another big contest that could land it on the cover of iconic music mag Rolling Stone.
If PK’s name sounds familiar, it’s because they’ve played Fresno a number of times. Usually at Kuppajoe.
Now the group is one of 16 finalists in the “Choose the Cover” contest put on by Rolling Stone and Atlantic Records. To help Rodriguez and PK, go to rollingstone.com/choosethecover, then rate their music You can also go to pkband.com for a free download of the band’s music and a rundown of how to help further.
The contest will eventually lead to two finalists competing against each other on stage at the Bonnaroo festival. But first PK has to be get of the first round, which ends March 2. Eight bands will advance — four based on votes and four chosen by music biz professionals. Read more on how the contest works here.
[photo: PK's Facebook]
Two not-so-common Monday night music options ahead of you tonight, Fresnans:
First up is a big-band concert from Jazz Composers Orchestra, an all-star group made up of some of the best local jazz players — many of whom are music teachers. They’re playing at Roger Rocka’s. Read more in this Q & A from The Bee.
Elsewhere, in a much different breed of show, all-ages venue Kuppajoe hosts a rare Monday concert. It’s the “A Very Metal Christmas” tour with Living Sacrifice, Becoming the Archetype and more.
If you’re a regular at Kuppajoe, you know Mondays are not the day the all-ages rock venue is usually active. That’s Friday and Saturday nights. But tonight, Kuppajoe is having a special benefit show with Seattle alternative band Lybecker headlining and a number of local bands filing things out. Money raised goes toward the venue.
FYI: One of these acts is playing our “Fresh Voices” showcase at Fresno Urban Sound Experience. We’ll release the lineup soon enough, but just thought we’d tease ya a bit.
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.
When you’re not watching the World Cup …
1. GO GUIDO (OR GUIDETTE):
If you’re a clubgoer or reality TV addict, then the No. 1 choice of the weekend is simple — you wanna be at Tachi Palace in Lemoore for the “Jersey Shore” invasion.
Yep, Snooki and The Situation are gonna be at The Den on Saturday night.
So bust out the hair gel, get your spray tan proper and do whatever else you need to do to go Guido.
Admission costs $25 at the door, $20 in advance and it all starts at 8 p.m.
Are you rolling your eyes right now? OK, read on.
I know it’s Thursday, but I’m off tomorrow, so let’s start the weekend talk a bit early, K?
1. GO TO THE ODDEST FILM FESTIVAL IN TOWN
Yep, it’s time for another Swede Fest. A lot of cities have a lot of different types of film festivals, but Saturday’s Swede Fest is all ours. It’s dedicated to Sweded, or cheaply remade, films (see “Be Kind Rewind”). The cool thing is that anybody can take part — so you get films made by people with real interest in film-makings, or from a group of friends just having fun. Plus, it’s free to get in. Win!
Other than watch those silly Grammys …
HELP HAITI
I’ve written a bunch lately about various Haiti benefit concerts in the area (check out my column in today’s Bee if you haven’t yet). If you like Warped Tour-ready rock, then head to Kuppajoe tonight to see Confide and others raise some money for Haiti.
Quick one-sentence rundown: Check out CD release events from Chuck Dimes and From Indian Lakes, laugh with Tommy Davidson [read interview], get hardcore at Fresno Fest 6 [read interview] or watch some mid-day b-boying at Starline.
ALSO: Today is “Mike Oz Day,” so how about supporting a local business?
Club Retro, a new all-ages venue in town will open its door next Friday.
Club Retro is actually the second in what owners hope will be a chain of alcohol-free, all-ages concert venues.
The original Club Retro opened six years ago in Sacramento. The Fresno location at 4450 N Brawley Ave., near Shaw and Brawley, and will hold 350 people for shows.
