Your monthly dump (of area concerts for March 2023)
Plus, a final show for Brother Luke and the Comrades.
Winter officials runs for another couple of weeks and what with the recent rain and cold it’s hard to say it feels like spring is anywhere close, but it is, or will be, because we’re finally out of February, so …
Here is this month’s semi curated, and somewhat, but not entirely comprehensive Fresno-area concerts list (grouped by week for sake of ease). If you do make it out, let the venues/bands know where you found out about the show.
Week one (March 1-7)
LifeJacket, w/ South Sixth, 7:30 p.m. March 1, Strummers. Free show.
Til Tomorrow tour, w/Thouxanbanfauni, 7 p.m. March 2, Strummers. $20, all ages.
Sister Cousins Go Green, featuring Brad The Dudeboy Rogers and Roger Perry and The Trike Shop, 5:30 p.m. March 2, Root Access Hackerspace
How High, w/ Z- Man, True Justice, Vocab Slick, MC Wicks, Cobalts and DJ Jalinche, 9 p.m. March 3, The Fulton. $10
Brother Luke and the Comrades hosts a final farewell show at Tioga Sequoia (read on for more info). It’s also a debut show for The Downwinders.
Zach Zeller will be coming in from Redding to open the whole evening.
Show starts at 7 p.m. It’s a free, all ages event.
Cloonee, 8 p.m. March 3, Fulton 55. $20-$35.
The Wonder Years, The Hum Goes On Forever Tour, 7 p.m. Tioga Sequoia Beer Garden. $32.50
Thee Illusions, Jackie Mendez and Andre Cruz and Chris Lujan, 9 p.m. March, 4, Fulton 55. $20-$25.
Brandon “Fresno Slim” Polin memorial show and benefit, 6 p.m. March 5, Fulton 55. $15.
Bktherula, 7 p.m. March 7, Strummers. $20, all ages.
Week two (March 8-14)
Pansy Party, w/ North by North (from Chicago), 1335 and Puppet. 6 p.m., March 9, Tioga Sequoia. Free, all ages.
T.A. The Handful, album release, w/ guests Fashawn, Brandon Freeman, Otis Reed and more, 8 p.m. March 9, Strummer’s. Free.
Arriba El Norte, 7 p.m., March 11, Valdez Hall at Fresno Convention Center. $45, general admission.
Ladaniva, 7 p.m. March 11, Tower Theater. $50-$125.
No Silence, w/Sedit, Andsoul and Soul Catcher, 8:30 p.m. March 11, Fulton 55. $10-$15.
Mania, the ABBA tribute, 8 p.m. March 12, Tower Theater. $27.50 - $64.50.
Week three (March 15-21)
Team Neville brings Albert Cummings to Fulton 55. The celebrated blues guitarist is out here on a limited run west coast tour. John Clifton Band opens. The show happens 8 p.m. March 15. Tickets are $30.
Bodysnatcher, w/Angelmaker, Paleface and Distant Wednesday, 6 p.m. March 15, Strummers. $17, all ages.
Brujeria: Matando Güeros 30 Aniversário tour, w/ Dwarves, Art of Shock, 6 p.m. March 16, Strummers, $25, all ages.
Lose (members of The Frights), w/ Don’t Tell Harry, 1335 and Gazey Lacey, 6 p.m. March 16, The Fulton. $10, all ages.
Great Room Shows hosts a three-night run of local and touring acts; starting March 16 with dontcryformeimalreadydead, Anxious Arms, Crossing I’s Dotting T’s and Fire to the Throne. On Friday night (March 17), the venue hosts Pansy Party, Jesus H Macey, Desklamp and Shop Dog. On Saturday (March 18), it’s Unlikely, Blazed, Hyacinth, Cheridomingo and Citrus.
The shows kicks off at 6 p.m. at the Great Room inside the University Presbyterian Church of Fresno. Tickets are $10 and are available to all ages.
Walker and Royce, 8 p.m. March 17, Fulton 55. $20-$35.
Blood Dance (from Mexico City), Thirteenth Sky and Tragic Visions, 8 p.m. Mach 18, Destructive Warehouse. $10, donation.
Archer Oh, The Band Ice Cream, 7 p.m. March 19, Strummers. $15, all ages.
Heartland rocker John Mellencamp, aka Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, kicked off his 2023 tour in Indianapolis last month (here’s a review from former The Bee reporter Rory Appleton).
Mellencamp stops in Fresno, at the Saroyan Theater, March 19. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $80.
Rick Estrin and The Nightcats, 8 p.m. March 21, the Painted Table. $55, $65.
Week four (March 22-31)
Token, Never Too Different tour, with Marco Plus and Nana, 7 p.m. March 22, Strummers.
Chingo Bling, 8 p.m. March 23, Tower Theater. $35- $45.
Soulfly, Bodybox, Drift and Scoundrel, 6 p.m. March 25, Strummers. $25, all ages.
Fresno’s most anticipated music festival (but not really) returns for 2023. The day-long block party is a collaboration between Tioga Sequoia (commemorating its opening) and Fresno Street Eats, New Rock 104.1 and others. It takes over several blocks of Fulton Street and will feature two stages of music.
FresYes Fest kicks off at 1 p.m. and is a free, all ages event.
The main stage performers have already been announced.
Info on a second stage should be released this week.
Zach Williams, 7 p.m. March 25, Warnors Theater. $52 and up.
Ronstadt Revue, with Gesenia and John Beland, 8 p.m. March 25, Tower Thearer. $39- $49.
The Emo Night Tour, 8 p.m Match 25, Fulton 55. $15.
Sleep it Off, 6:30 p.m. March 26, Fulton 55. $8.
Together Pangea, w/Ultra Q, Blade Trip, 7 p.m. March 26, Strummers. $18, all ages.
Kash’d Out, Whiskey and Weed tour, 8:30 p.m. March 30, Fulton 55. $15-$20.
Thee Sinseers, 9 p.m. March 31, Fulton 55. $20-$25.
The Stratos Dionysiou tribute concert, 8 p.m. March 31, Tower Theater. $53-$103.
Goodbye, Brother Luke and the Comrades
Brother Luke and the Comrades was a band designed to stick around regardless of who was actually playing. The group, formed by songwriter Luke Freeman more than a decade ago, had two goals.
“One was to make music with some of my best friends and two was to form a band that could technically go on forever with different members moving in and out,” Freeman says, in advance of the group’s final performance March 3 at Tioga Sequoia.
The irony is real. I chatted with Freeman via email to find out more.
What was the decision like to make one final happening with the band? I assume this is just the end for this particular project and not you giving up music?
“Yes, this is only the end of this particular incarnation of ‘BL&TC’ but it is not the end of me making music under that name.
I am proud of the EP we wrote and recorded together and I wanted to play those songs one last time. We released the EP in the fall of 2019 and then we decided to go on a hiatus because I was expecting the birth of my son that winter. During that hiatus Covid happened and every time I thought maybe we’d get back to playing shows together there would be another spike in cases.
I realized that maintaining weekly practices while being a dad probably wasn’t going to be in the cards for me but I did know I wanted to play one last show.”
So, there has been several different incarnations of the group. How did the band change over the years and who is playing this particular show?
“I had been in a handful of local bands and all of them would eventually come to an end. When BL&TC started it was a quiet folk quartet. We released two full length albums and went on a couple of West Coast tours. Then, after I went to my first Dirty Limbs concert I decided I wanted to shift the sound to garage/indie/rock. We have released two EPs with that focus/genre.
The band break down:
Patrick and Allie Hampton and Eric Arii were the original founding members. We released two full length albums together.
Jon Rolluda, Whitney Freeman, Mike Morris, still folky but with drums. Played shows comprised of songs off the first two albums.
Colby Tibbet, Aaron Johnson, Mike Morris, Whitney Freeman. Started the indie/garage/rock era and recorded the ‘Nah’ Ep.
Jon Hadden, Simon Smeds and Chris Friesen wrote and recorded the “Jr. High,” Ep.”
You have a Greatest Hits album in the works? Tell us about that?
“It’s strange to call it a greatest hits album but I don’t know what else to call it. It’s going to be a collection of songs both folk and rock from 2007-2019. It’s going to be comprised of songs that I think reflect some of the best work that has come out of these different incarnations of the group.
It should be available in early May and then I will be heading out on a west coast tour with Jonathan Lo-Fi in support of the album.”
That’s it for this week. Remember you can now hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com