Brian Kenney sees the future ... and the future is Fresno

Also, Benjamin Boone gathers the poets and Kinzie Rose + Fashawn call out your disloyalty

Brian Kenney Fresno is a legend.

Or, the stuff of legend, at least.

He’s a total and true novelty act; a one-man band known for feats of stamina (staging a 12-hour solo concert) and an interactive live show that includes a classroom projector (for the singalongs), boxes of raisins (raisins being the official fruit of the Valley and cheaper than figs, no doubt) and meta references to his namesake and hometown.

See: “Bobby Salazar!”

Then, there’s that Warr guitar.

But the novelty belies a musical prowess that could easily (though perhaps lazily) be described as Zappa-esque.

“Bat Shit Crazy” is the first track on Fresno’s latest release and an apt (and not at all negative) description of the next 80 minutes. “The Future is Fresno” is nine songs intercut with commentary/introductions read by Siri. It’s meant to be listened to front to back, which I suggest you do at least once.

If you are going to pick tracks, go with:

• The pandemic-inspired “Corpse Trench” (two words I had never thought of putting together until this song).

• “Ev’ry Stain Has A Story,” which name drops the Tower Theatre and proves that Brian Kenney Fresno could find a job in writing stage musicals.

• “Resno,” which clocks in at nearly 11 minutes long and somehow folds in a Judas Priest “Painkiller” interlude.

The album was released Jan. 1 on Bandcamp.

Benjamin Boone, “The Poets are Gathering”

Benjamin Boone has created a niche for himself over the past few years with his jazz-poetry collaborations — including two volumes with the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet (and one-time Fresnan) Philip Levine.

“The Poets are Gathering,” sees Boon working with close to a dozen poets on songs that do well to speak what Donald Munro calls these “troubled times.” The album addresses “ripped-from-the-front-page topics such as police murder, racism, immigration, poverty, inequity, and mass shootings.”

What makes these collaborations special in Boone’s ability to hear voices as instrumentation. In his hands, the spoken word becomes notes and percussion. The poems here don’t just sit atop the music as background, but are entwined in the very essence of the songs.

Check out: Juan Felipe Herrera’s performance on the title track and the interplay with Lee Herrick on “Truths.”

Much of the music, played by 20 musicians including Fresnans like Craig VonBerg and David Aus, was sketched out briefly and captured in the studio on first takes.

“The Poets are Gathering” was released Oct. 16 and is available in digital formats or a limited-edition personalized autographed CD with 16-page liner notes booklet (for all the true music geeks out there).

Kinzie Rose Ft. Fashawn, “Disloyalty”

It seems like Kinzie Rose grew up singing in clubs and coffee houses around town. I certainly remember her as a kid performing on Chuck Leonard’s Central Valley Buzz, and have continued to seen her name on gig fliers over the years.

Earlier this month, she released a video for “Disloyalty,” featuring Fashawn.

It’s a great collab for Rose, who handles the song’s hook with style, but mostly allows the Fresno rapper to do his thing.

In other Fashawn news, the rapper has teamed up with 559 Beer on a collab called Grizzly City Blonde. The beer launched officially last night.

So far, Bandgeeeek has been heavy on the releases, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have anything you think I need to know, feel free to reach out: jtehee@gmail.com