Patrick Contreras gettin' that buzz

Also, the holiday spirit, Fresno style

First things first: Patrick Contreras is at it again.

On Friday, BuzzFeed picked up this pretty great compilation video of Patrick doing his violin-rock thing in all sorts of cool local locales (lots of parking lots, but that’s where we’re at with the quarantine, so …).

This is on the heels of the release of his album “A Little Night Music,” which dude was hustling to promote last month. Credit to him, the album topped a couple of charts (iTunes and Amazon) and was No. 9 on Billboard’s classical crossover chart.

It’s interesting to see where Contreras charts, because he’s still kind of on the leading edge of contemporary violin pop music and has always been hard to classify.

Christmas sale …

It’s nearly half way through December, and I am fairly killing Whamageddon 2020. But that’s mostly because I’ve managed to steer clear of Christmas music (and places that would play Christmas music) altogether.

Which is sad, because I really do like Christmas music.

I did put Blake Jones and The Trike Shop’s “Christmas Sale” on loop the other day, which served the need. This is one of those non-Christmas Christmas songs (pretty sure it doesn’t even have sleigh bells) that somehow still manages to capture the truth of the season (while taking a swipe at FOX newsers).

Also, it has some hands-down beautifully great lyrics.

“How did God survive before us?

Without General Washington securing the manger?

Without Irving Berlin orchestrating the angels?”

I mean …

The song is off of the Trike shop’s album “The Underground Garden,” which is a sort of ode to Fresno and one of my favorite local releases. The band’s latest album “Make” is out on Big Stir Records.

Dead Nostalgia …

I am a sucker from a good compilation album. Partly, that’s because of how important compilations were in forming my musical identity (check out Dill Record’s “Misfits of Ska” and Bloodshot Record’s “For a Life of Sin” if you wanna know).

Compilations are also great archives (and archives are the world for nerds like us).

So: Dead Nostalgia: Central Valley Emo 2003​-​2020

Per the album notes, this is “a love letter to the scene I grew up in and am still a part of to this day.” It’s 20 tracks that serve as a history of the scene, from its early days (Atari Champ is a name I had not heard in years. Also Winter Wardrobe) to the here and now (Sad Kwon Do is a big yes for me).

Moreover it’s a reminder of how many awesome bands we had playing in Fresno in the 2010s (pay special attention to Mane Horse and the Milford Higgins).

If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com