Fresno Fair announces first round of its 2023 lineup. Who's on and what's missing?
Plus, we see what the Tower Theater booking looks like and new music from Victim of Propaganda, HillBlocksView.
So, we already knew that county band Midland would be returning for this year’s The Big Fresno Fair. That is after canceling out of the festival two years ago and then making up for it with a sold-out performance last year.
The fair loves to bring back its best performers (see: Fluffy, Ice Cube).
On Monday, the fair announced names and ticket info on five more acts that will join Midland for this year’s concert series (which runs Oct. 4-15). They are: En Vogue and Expose (Oct. 5); Elle King (Oct. 7); Hairball (Oct. 9); Daney Gokey (Oct. 10) and the Beach Boys (Oct. 12). Midland performs Oct. 11.
All tickets are on presale to Big Fresno Fair Fan Club members from 10 a.m. Tuesday to midnight May 18. General ticket sales (online only) start May 19. All that info is at the website.
The breakdown: While it may not be official policy, the fair certainly seems to follow some specific criteria when booking it concert series. And this lineup hits most of the touch marks.
Nostalgia R&B? Check.
Nostalgia rock (hard or metal variety)? Check.
Nostalgia rock (of the oldies variety)? Check.
Contemporary Christian? Check.
Modern pop country? Check and check.
What does that leave us with for the remaining six performer slots?
Well, the fair has traditionally done well with regional Mexican and other Latin artists and we’ll likely see the two Sunday slots play to that crowd. Latin music (and Mexican music is particular) is having a moment and a lot of bands have sprung from the fair stage to lager venues like the Save Mart Center, so it will be interesting to see who the fair pulls.
There’s no rap in the lineup yet. The fair has proven it can (and likes to) pull in some legacy status rappers, so I would expect someone in the Ice Cube realm (if not the man himself).
The fair keeps at least one slot open for a comedian. Last year, it was Dana Carvey. Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy) had a good run at the fair in the late 20-teens. There was that year they booked Roseanne Barr. Fresno seems to be getting a lot of good comedians rolling through right now (Taylor Tomlinson plays the Saroyan Theater Friday), so this could get a decent pull here.
I would expect at least one more A.) rock or metal act. Something with a bit more, but not too much edge and/or B.) old-school crooner type.
Announced: Asleep at the Wheel, June 10, Tower Theater
We’ve gotten a first glimpse at what bookings might look like now that the Tower Theater has its new management team.
Numbskull Shows and Good Medicine announced western swing legends Asleep at the Wheel will perform at theater June 10. Tickets are on sale now.
It looks as if (and the hope would certainly be) the partnership between Numbskull and Good Medicine opens a pipeline for this level of band to stop through Fresno on a more consistent basis. That would be a win for the city.
The theater’s current management team will run operations through May.
“Southern Ice,” Victim of Propaganda
On Friday, Victim of Propaganda released “Southern Ice,” the final piece in its “dystopian blues,” phase (blues here referring not to musical style, but recurring lyrical themes).
The song was recorded to mark the three year anniversary of the release of “Chamber Music,” which in itself was the last in a triptych of albums tied under the theme (see 2017’s “Dystopian Blues” and 2018s “Stalking Music”).
Ellison Todd Williams has a knack for creating darkly layered pop tunes disguised under lo-fi ambient/electronic sounds and “Southern Ice” follows suit.
The 2 min 30 second song was intended to be recorded for “Chamber Music.” Those familiar will notice the lyrical refrain.
Until now, Williams couldn’t land on a version of the song that felt right.
“I adore this one and I am (now) thankful for all of the false starts that led me to it,” Williams said.
“The song can be considered to be the last ‘note’ of Victim of Propaganda’s ‘dystopian blues’ phase and also a prompt for those who haven’t checked out VOP’s previous work.”
HillBlocksView hosts EP release, TONIGHT
HillBlocksView released a self-titled EP across digital platforms this week.
Physical CDs are available at Ragin Records for the collectors.
The band celebrates with an a release show TONIGHT at Full Circle Brewing Company. Lavish Youth, Running with Scissors, South Sixth and I Figure it Was Fiction open. Doors at 5:30. Tickets are $15 and all ages.
HillBlocksView is fronted by ex-Valkyrie Missile singer Nathan Castaneda and delivers on some solidly produced post-punk/pop-rock that is heavy without being overwhelming; full of riffage and throat screams and off tempo turns, but also intricate instrumentations and vocal harmonies.
Check out the single “Flourish” 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