A decade+ in and singer Brian Cade is catching his groove with new album, headline showcase
Plus, Happy Thanksgiving y'all.
Brian Cade is doing his first headlining show in Fresno this week, which seems an odd thing given he’s been a name and performing in (and out of) town for more than a decade. Heck, he was doing interviews on it back in 2013.
“It feels good to be 15+ years in on making music and to feel like I am barely catching my groove,” Cade told me in an email this week.
“This is the beginning of a new era.”
The show is being billed as Brian Cade and Friends and as much as its a showcase for the singer, its also an introduction of old friends to new. Cade will be joined by Shno Xavier (from Las Vegas), Nike Reign (from Merced) and C Milli (from Long Island), along with fellow Fresnans Hallie, Cinco and Nate.
“After all these years, I’ve traveled and met some amazing people,” Cade says. “This show is about bringing the people from the last five to six years of my journey to my hometown.”
It comes as Cade is gearing up to go on the road with “Cashmere,” the final part of a trilogy of albums he started in 2021 with producer/DJ Nate and Nyk Tyler. The album follows 2022’s “Velvet” and Silk, which was released early this year.
“Cashmere,” dropped in September and is available across streaming platforms.
This is also the first big push for Cade and his producer/manager Stilz Stoudamire, who runs the recording/production facility White Glove Studios. Cade had known of and admired Stoudamire’s work with the long-running reggae band White Glove Service, but realized the potential of their partnership as soon as they started working together.
“Once we locked in and started making music, I knew he was a special person to have in your corner,” he says.
In June, the pair took a trip out to NYC and returned with a sense of determination.
“I’ve always been team oriented,” Cade says. “From my boy band days at Clovis High, to my Love City days and opening for acts such as Jason Derulo and Kendrick Lamar.
I’m proud to say my team now is more well rounded. We have DJs, producers, songwriters, movement coaches, spiritual coaches, a Merch team. It feels surreal to be here after all these years, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he says.
“With time comes grace.”
Brain Cade and Friends happens 5 p.m. Dec. 5 at Fulton 55. Tickets are $15-$20.
Thanksgiving. A quick list.
For all the problematics of Thanksgiving (in the capitalistic, gluttonous sense of the day), there is something compelling in dedicating time each year to take stock of the things you are thankful for (especially in years when that kind of thing seems hard).
Here’s a quick list of some things for which I am grateful in 2025 (specifically as it relates to music and this newsletter).
First off, the whole host of writer/influencer/blogger journalist types working to connect the Valley’s music scene. If you follow this newsletter, some of them will be recognizable (Valley Echoes, RAD Music, the Fresnan), but I’m discovering new stuff all the time (the crew at Setlist seems to be everywhere, lately). It takes a village, or whatever.
New Rock 104.1. Aside from allowing me to host the Fresno-focused Homegrown show for the last … four(??) years, the station’s dedication to being local is real and an asset to the community. See above.
The host of musical collaborators with whom I’ve got to work/play/make noise. They all have bodies of work that are well worth knowing. This includes: Matt Orme/Studio 101, Ellison Williams/Victim of Propaganda (we may have something in the works), Cristobal Carrillo and the Werebear crew, the Fletchers (Chris and Brooke, who I play with in It’ll Grow Back and who are my longest musical collaborators), Wade Krause (who is always down and with very little questions asked), Victor Sotelo (who has been supportive since day one and got me an in with the Blackcoats), Robby Olsen, Emelia Guadarrama and Chris Estep.
That’s it for this week. Remember you can also hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. Tonight, I’m in studio tonight with a bunch of new music, including “Tides,” from Brian Cade. Follow my other writing at The Fresno Bee. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com