New music, video drops from Awaken the Arkhon Atoms Are Aliens and Brian Kenny Fresno

Plus, Fulton 55 postpones reopening; Cellar Door hosts Leaving Austin

There was a time when Fresno was just metal bands. Or, at least it felt that way to someone not in a metal band.

And Fresno still has a consistent metal scene that is producing.

See Scoundrel, which dropped it’s “Dead EP” on Friday.

Also, the new-ish band Awaken the Arkhon, which released its debut single this week.

“World Between Us,” is three and a half minutes of double-kickin’ (modern) metal that requires a certain level of volume to truly appreciate (turn it up to get the drums where they need to be). The song is heavy on hook and sonic interplay (the guitar licks) with a bit of a scream in the vocals, but not enough to keep it from being decipherable.

Atoms Are Aliens has been re-releasing radio edits from its 2017 album “Across the Galaxy.”

The band is comprised of “organisms spawned by extraterrestrial spores. They radiate electronic textures and pop music,” which surprisingly does a pretty good job of describing songs like “Blank Stare” or “Early Seas.’

That one seems to be about harvesting dolphins. But to what end?

Atoms Are Aliens is one of several projects from Matthew Embry, who releases material under several monikers, including No Strings (a project with his mother). In May, Embry released the improvised album “Conversations w/John.”

Brian Kenney Fresno has been on a run of late, producing a series of videos to go along with “The Future is Fresno.”

So far we’ve seen videos for “Bat Shit Crazy,” “Corpse Trench” and now “Ev’ry Stain has a Story.” The videos seem interconnected, in composition at least, with Brian Kenney Fresno mugging for the camera as he moves through his backyard (??), some kind of empty lot (??) and that contentious area (at least on Sundays) behind the Tower Theatre.

They’re certainly low-fi in production, but that is somehow totally appropriate.

If you need more Brian Kenney Fresno, you can watch him talk about the Warr guitar (and other stuff) on Finbar Ohanlon’s “Raiders of the Lost Art” show.

Fulton 55 postpones reopening; Cellar Door hosts Leaving Austin

Fulton 55 had a grand reopening party slated for June 18, to coincide with the grand reopening of the state.

The club announced this week that that show (featuring the Morning Drive) has been pushed to Aug. 8. The club will now officially reopen on July 15 with Cloudship and Big Elk, according to its webpage.

Postponement aside, Fulton 55 does have a solid calendar for July, including an Amy Winehouse tribute, Erin Olds’ Fresno farewell and a rock showcase with Call Me James, Gypsy Vision, Stoneshiver, Unlikely and Might As Well.

In Visalia meanwhile, Cellar Door is hosting a Sunday evening show for its first official weekend back. The county band Leaving Austin (Nashville by way of Visalia) will play at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Also, the Cellar Door’s stage has been revamped, apparently, which is an exciting proposition.

That’s it for this week. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com