KFCF launches monthly music/arts series. It's in the Tower ... live.
Plus, John Clifton needs a new van, Tower Porchfest has a 2025 date and why Fresno needs the Rainbow Ballroom.
There is a thing that Blake Jones understands about the best of artistic projects.
They tend to start with the question, “wouldn’t it be cool?”
“Wouldn’t it be cool if there was an event that showcased local artists; musicians, singer-songwriters, poets and spoken-word artists. And wouldn’t it be cool if it happened EVERY month, instead just a one-off?,” says Jones, a musician/bandleader who has been known to organize around cool ideas (the Rogue and F.U.S.E. fests, a series of Rock the Tower showcases, this Fresno Covers Fresno compilation).
“Wouldn’t it be cool if part of the mission was to include diverse voices from all over our community?,” he says. “And wouldn’t it be even cooler if those live shows were also broadcast on a powerful, local FM radio station?”
You can see where he’s going with this.
KFCF 88.1 FM (using some funding support from Measure P) is launching Tower Live, a monthly performance broadcast from inside the Fresno Music Academy of Arts’ Vista Theater. Jones will be hosting the show alongside fellow musician and scene stalwart Roger Perry.
The two-hour performances will happen in front of an audience, but broadcast live on the station (as the name implies).
The premiere episode happens 7 p.m. Nov. 29, with Jones and Perry performing alongside poet Asia Smith and singer Keysha Burns and her Impromtu Band. The remaining dates set through May of 2025, culminating in a KFCF 50th Anniversary Party in June.
Tower Live Schedule
Friday, Dec. 20
Friday, Jan. 24
Friday, Feb. 21
Friday, March 21
Friday, April 25
Friday, May 23
Support system activate: John Clifton needs a new van
Along with getting gear stolen, finding yourself stranded thousands of miles from home with a sizable repair bill for a vehicle that should be, but totally isn’t, reliable seems to be a touring musician’s rite of passage.
Back in October, John Clifton had to cancel several tour dates and limp himself back to California after his van broke down in Iowa.
As Clifton explained it: “After towing it to a Ford dealership in Des Moines I was told the engine blew up. The cost they quoted me was $15,000. It is a diesel engine, which means big bucks,” he wrote.
“At this point I’m pretty much out of the music business.”
Or at least the business of playing for any time anywhere outside of the Central Valley or California. But a group of fans created a GoFundMe campaign to help with repair costs on the van and get Clifton back out on the road. So, far it’s raised $1,600 of its $20K goal. So … help out if you can.
Save the Date: Tower Porchfest 2025
Earlier this week, organizers of Tower Porchfest put out a save the date for this year’s event. It happens Saturday April 25.
That should be more than enough time for bands and performers to get linked up with porch hosts.
For those initiated, Porchfest is no traditional music festival. It works as a collection of coordinated and curated yard performances, which can bring up some really special opportunities. Last year’s performance from Rademacher, for example.
A full list of information and FAQs is available at Towerporchfest.org.
Rainbow Ballroom is the venue Fresno needs
Back in August, I wrote in The Fresno Bee about renovations happening at the Rainbow Ballroom. It was shocking (in a good way) to see how much work had been put into the room and I was encouraged by the possibilities and potential of Fresno’s longest-running music venue.
Let me double down on that sentiment.
On Thursday, the iconic Mexican rock band Caifanes played the ballroom between a show at the San Jose Civic and a two night run at the Ventura Theatre. I don’t have an official ticket count for the show, but was told it was around 2,200, which would be pushing capacity limits.
It was certainly looked like a sell-out judging from the line snaking around the block an hour-plus before showtime.
Without getting in a full review of the show itself (it was two-plus hours with little or no filler), the venue felt like the perfect spot for a band of this size. It’s something Fresno needs; a spot that’s comparable to Sacramento’s Ace of Spades or the Observatory in Santa Ana or the Fillmore (or other theaters spots) in San Francisco. Someplace that feels up-to-date and capable of hosting top-tier small- to mid-level touring bands (which the Rainbow sort of did in the late 1990s).
I mean … just look.
On a related note: I saw KK’s Priest’s tour stop at Ace of Spaces in October and was bummed to know a show like that would have a hard time booking in Fresno.
None of this ignores the role the Rainbow Ballroom currently has in serving the local music scene (especially as it relates to Regional Mexican music) or the fact that there are other forces at play (read, Live Nation) that could be keeping bands from coming to Fresno. But, from what I have seen, the lack of a viable venue isn’t one of them.
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. 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