Calendar bump: Here's who is booked at Vina Robles Amphitheater this season
Plus, Patrick Contreras is leaving Fresno? And Angellvroo live at Tioga Sequoia
Something up for debate this week: The lineup for Sacramento’s Aftershock Festival, which isn’t technically local, but must certainly count Fresnans among its potential demographic.
There are enough of us interested.
See also: Vina Robles Amphitheater, which just this week added Los Angeles indie band Lord Huron to its 2022 season lineup.
The Amphitheater, just off Highway 46 in Paso Robles, was built by Vina Robles Winery in 2013 to host its Summer Concert Series and has since become one of the largest outdoor entertainment venues in San Luis Obispo County.
In the past few years (2020 notwithstanding) it has rather consistently brought in name acts and made then accessible to Fresnans — if you consider a two hour drive accessible.
In 2019, it hosted Social Distortion and Kacey Musgraves, Jason Mraz, the Gypsy Kings and a Beatle (it was Ringo). Last year, the lineup included Joe Bonamassa, Rise Against, St. Vincent and two nights of Dirty Heads High and Mighty tour, among others.
This year kicks off April 23 with Alice Cooper’s tour with Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley. The lineup also includes Bastille (May 21), Barenaked Ladies (June 11), Bonnie Raitt (Sept. 20) and one Weird Al (Sept. 15).
The full line 2022 lineup can be seen online.
Of course, for my bet, the concert of the season is Elvis Costello, who is touring with his band The Imposters in support of their new album “The Boy Named If.” As a bonus, the opener is Costello’s one-time producer Nick Lowe, playing here with none other than Los Straitjackets.
That addition makes the Sept. 2 show bucket-list for me.
Violin on Fire taking the show to Los Angeles
It’s hard to think of Fresno’s music scene without Patrick Contreras.
He hasn’t always been running his side walk-violin concerts like some kind of musical Uber Eats. Or staging mini tours outside of taco trucks and otherwise getting national attention for just hustling beyond belief.
And yes, there was a time when he wasn’t jumping bar tops to shred some Led Zeppelin, or getting called to the stage for spontaneous collaborations with hip-hop stars.
But that was years ago, before Contreras became a fairly engrained part of the local scene. And now he’s leaving.
On Wednesday, Contreras announced he and his wife “have decided to take a risk and move to Los Angeles.”
In a post on Facebook, Contreras said he will start splitting the week between L.A. and Fresno early this summer.
Eventually, they’ll do every other week.
“If I’m ever going to make a serious run, the time is now,” he wrote. “I’m coming to L.A. to build a career based on my original music. I have a story to tell, so I’ve got to tell it.”
The plan is to work it old school, one fan at a time, he says, playing small venues and building an audience “with my songs, my style and sound, no compromise.”
“I’m not coming in cold, Fresno and all the lessons I learned are coming with me,” he wrote.
Angellvroo live @Tioga Sequoia
Angellvroo (pronounced Angel Ver Roh) is worth keeping an eye on.
The singer/songwriter has released a number of impressive singles over the last two years. This is the kind of self-produced bedroom pop that gets big on TikTok and has earned the 19-year old the backing of Neon Pineapple Entertainment, which has Angellvroo opening for Cannibal Kids and Raquel Lily at Tioga Sequoia’s Beer Garden March 13.
For a taste of what to expect, the singer played Tioga back in January. The full 40-minute set was filmed an uploaded to Youtube. You can watch it below.
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