Fresno's lost venues: Wild Blue edition
Plus new music from Gabriel Francisco's Killer Sunset.
Someday, someone (maybe this someone) should do a comprehensive history of Fresno’s lost music venues.
Every generation would have its list (Dale Stewart already put together the ’80s punk venues). For me, it would be the Wilson Theater and Patterson Hall and the Cadillac Club (although I was a too young at the time to get in) and later places like Starline, Audie’s Olympic, C.A.F.E. Infoshop, Chinatown Youth Center, Bel-Tower and the Crossroads (you see, this is fun).
For certain generation, it might be the Wild Blue. Full stop.
The venue opened in 1974 in a spot on Fulton Avenue just off Olive as a kind of club house for the band The Wild Blue Yonder, whose members pulled their money ($300 each) to make the thing happen.
From the band’s bio: “The summer of love had been ‘Manson-ized,’ Disco was a 24/7 nightmare ... the band's future survival was in doubt. During this bleak period of collective rumination, a quiet shift in consciousness occurred. Utilizing an old maxim by the industrialist Howard Hughes — to be successful in business, you should ‘own what you use’ — the band arrived at the audacious notion of forming a partnership and creating a performance space dedicated to original music and thought.”
The club ran for a full 20 years, even after the band broke up, and cemented the idea of the Tower District as a viable entertainment hub. It was breeding ground for an entire generation of would-be rocks stars (and artistic expressionists) and a place for touring artists to play on their way through the area.
Last week, Fred Martinez (of Club Fred Fame) started a running list of bands that played at the Wild Blue.
It includes a number of locals such as Glen Delpit’s Houserockers and the Mockers, which featured both Roger Perry and John Clifton, pre-Mo-Fo Party Band.
Also: The Clams, Miss Alans, Let’s Go Bowling, Circus Bogus and Blake Jones’ band the Trikes, to name a few.
E for Elephant recorded a live album at the venue in 1991 and this video of Nate Butler, Stan Schaeffer, Craig Daniel, and Brian Kenney playing as Pop Shoppe in 1993 is one of my favorite things ever.
The non-local notables include: Eric Burdon, Nils Lofgren, Leon Russel, Jonathan Richman, Huey Lewis, Suicidal Tendencies, Eartha Kitt, Bella Fleck, Fishbone, Dinosaur Jr., Camper Van Beethoven, Snail and the Goo Goo Dolls (among dozens of others including a lots of blues guys).
There have been attempts to reopen the space as a venue or nightclub over the years, but mostly it has been mostly vacant since its closure.
Recently, there has been activity inside the venue and a notice for alcohol sales has been posted up. I haven’t been able to confirm any plans, but it appears to have some connection to India’s Oven, the restaurant next door.
New music: Gabriel Francisco’s Killer Sunset
On Friday, Gabriel Francisco posted up a teaser for “Circle Games,” a new single from his solo outing, Killer Sunset.
It’s another departure for the Red Coats singer.
Up to this point, Killer Sunset has appeared to be a rap-project with Francisco serving as emcee/producer. His “Tales From the Online Beat Circus” EP was equal parts Slim Shady-era Eminem and late era Beastie Boys. He expanded on theme with the single “Rad Scientist,” which came out in October.
“Circle Games” a relationship lament that seems designed to show off the range of Francisco’s vocal chops. He’s tender on the low end and holds power in the mid range before flying into falsetto (and back).
It is a soaring piece of piano-driven pop music that is only hindered by a minimalism in its production. The focus is on the piano and voice, which give the song agedness, I like, but I also sort of want some big layers of electronic elements, especially as the song builds.
“Circle Games” (and its accompanying video) will be out on digital platforms Friday.
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. Tonight I’ll have new music from Paris on Fair, HiJi RR, Might As Well, JW Falcon and Brujoz. 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