Live music returns to the Historic Crest Theatre
Plus, Charlie Steady's album release and discovering Plague Mosaic.
Two weeks ago, Franco Villanueva and his wife Maria announced they were taking some much needed time off from Destructive Productions, the punk promotions company they operate out of their warehouse/community space downtown.
But, within a week, the pair announced they’d taken on a new project curating a weekly concert series at the Historic Crest Theatre.
It’s a fundraiser and will run until the theater has enough money to fix its AC unit.
“It’s a fast occurring project,” Maria Villanueva says. The pair has been in full promo mode, doing interviews and fielding interest from artists. The series kicks off 8 p.m. TONIGHT and it’s already booked several weeks out. After that, Villanueva has plans on plans on plans.
As pointed out in my story over at The Fresno Bee, the Crest was built to be a movie house and was used as such for the bulk of its 76 years. Even now, weekend movie nights are the main offering.
But there’s no denying its potential as a live music venue.
It’s right-sized for the kind of touring acts us live music nerds want to see come through town (as opposed to, like, Shakira. Though that has its own kind of worth).
Among the city’s usable historic theaters (those not run by churches, let’s say), the Crest may be the roughest, but it has the best layout to accommodate general admission audiences.
The seats closest to the stage were removed to make standing (or dancing, moshing) room, something missing from the Tower and Warnors theaters.
And the Crest does have a history in live music.
During the 2000s and 2010s the theater had a run of shows that included Misfits (post or pre- the OG lineup), Rob Zombie, Andre Nickatina, Berner, Escape the Fate, Nashville Pussy, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch and Pennywise (among others).
To be clear: Anything that gets more people into the theater should be supported. The Crest is a singular thing. One that, if lost, will never exist again.
Charlie Steady’s 27-track double album ‘Magpie’ is out July 25
Charlie Steady’s latest release could come off as either: An ambitiously bold artistic statement or a quaint throwback to a time before sub-three minute streaming singles.
It is both.
“Magpie (The Adventures of a Musical Monomyth),” is a 27-track double album, that explores “identity, creativity and transformation through the lens of … a dreamer and musician searching for meaning in The Big City.”
The album unfolds like a book, each track a chapter “in a journey that reflects not only the inner world of its titular character, but also Steady’s own reflections on creativity, disillusionment and personal growth in his late 20s,” per the album press.
“I wanted to take listeners on an emotional journey,” says Steady, the alter ego of musician Seth Craig. “One that mirrors the real-life adventure of becoming — with all its twists, heartbreaks, and revelations. Whether the adventure is external or internal, it changes you.”
“Magpie” is out July 25 on streaming platforms with a series of narrative music videos, live shows and special visual content to follow.
If you want the deep dive into Steady’s music, etc., Valley Echoes posted an interview with the songwriter/musician earlier this week.
Discovery: Plague Mosaic
Plague Mosaic is a band that I wasn’t around to experience and thus know little about, but somehow also feel connected to, simply by virtue of being around people who were around the band.
For instance, I’ve been at more than one dive-bar punk show where someone has yelled out the call and response … “Drink beer! Eat pussy!,” which is referenced in this performance of a song about Jeff Purcell.
Anyway … this is a long of to say how pleased I am with the time I spent this week scrolling through the We Are Plague Mosaic page on Facebook and the 30 or so songs that have been uploaded on YouTube. How more people don’t know about this band is beyond me.
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’m in studio with Visalia power metal band Exvamon. You’ll love it. 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