Edward Hernandez give us 'One More Try' with new single
Plus, a Foghorn String Band review and Smashing Pumpkins' new guitarist (could be you).
For those tracking the Central Valley music scene, Edward Hernandez’ new single is a two-fer.
Herdandez is a ukulele player out of Visalia who’s been around for years now, releasing music and performing (mostly ukulele tunes) under his name and also as the Bearded Uke (which I always read on social media with an extra D, as beardedduke).
The song is a cover of “One More Try,” which is one of the most successful pieces of music to ever come out of Fresno, if you count success by placement on Billboard’s Top 100 chart.
The song hit No. 1 on the chart in 1991 and was a career high for pop singer Timmy T.
It’s a song ripe for interpretation. It was heavily sampled by Fashawn and Omar Aura in 2012. Here, Hernandez gives it an upbeat reggae vibe.
Hernandez isn’t new to cover tunes, either. He got was featured in Ukulele Magazine (online) in 2015 for his version of Aerosmith’s “Dream On.”
For awhile, he was performing a full Deftones tribute act.
“One More Try,” is out now on streaming platforms.
You can see Hernandez perform with his trio, Saturday night at the Barrelhouse Brewing Company in Fresno. One assumes the song is on the set list.
Concert review: Foghorn String Band, Tower Theater Lounge, Jan. 6, 2024
By nature, old time string band musician are song collectors and music historians.
It’s not enough to just know a tune (or 100) or to play it aptly. Part of the gig is understanding the lineage; the time and space in which a song was written, but also how it came to be in ones particular repertoire.
“This is a tune I learned from …”
So, one could enjoy Foghorn String Band on sheer musicality (the quick fingered mandolin runs, the dueling fiddlers and booming harmonies). These are, after all, some time-tested tunes. But if you were open to it, the quartet (and a special guest banjo picker) could serve as a gateway to an vastly connected musical tradition.
Opening the show was Tower Rats’ bluegrass alter ego Long Forgotten. Having seen the trio twice over the last year, it is clear that they 1.) understand the form and 2.) have the stage presence needed to lock in an audience.
This was a kind of test run for the Tower Theater Lounge to see if the old Daily Planet/Painted Table space could work as an intimate concert venue. With minor exceptions for some site-line issues the room filled up nicely and carried the ambiance needed for this kind of performance.
You could be Smashing Pumpkins next guitarist
Well maybe not you in particular … but …
Late last week, the Smashing Pumpkins put out an open casting call for a new guitarist (most likely to replace Jeff Schroeder, who left the band in October).
According to a post on Instagram, the application process is open to anyone who might be interested and is as simple as sending a resume and related materials to SPGuitar@redlightmanagement.com. I can think of a few Fresnans who could pull off the opportunity. As a bonus, you’d get to open up for Green Day.
Mantis Watch’s guitarist/CEO Carl, already sent in his bid.
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 and 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