The music of Rogue Festival 2021. Online now.
Plus, the daily songs of Pieter Moerdyk and some throwback concert footage that's metal AF.
If you haven’t been paying attention to the calendar, it’s been a full year since the pandemic hit.
We know this because Rogue Festival 2021 kicked off on Friday.
Last year, the performing arts festival was happening just as the coronavirus was settling in. The festival did manage both weeks, though by the second week many performers chose to sit things out and a few days later the city went on lockdown (that’s how I remember it anyway).
There was hope that the 2021 festival would be able to happen with in-person performances, or some hybrid model of in-person and virtual, but ultimately Fresno just ain’t there yet, so the thing is happening via Zoom (which can actually be really cool).
In terms of the performances (which run through next Sunday), here are some quick choices (all attention paid to the musical).
“Blood Harmony” — This is some old-timey family band stuff. The Murray Girls (and mom) sing murder ballads, traditional tunes, Celtic songs and blues.
“The four contraltos sing your new favorites: family arrangements of familiar and obscure music covering hundreds of years of musical history.”
Performances are 8 p.m. Sunday, March 7 and 4 p.m. Sunday, March 14.
“I Sit on My Arse and Play Piano” — The debut Rogue performance from Mark Nunis (cousin to Rogue grandfather Marcel Nunis), a travelling piano player out of Australia. The name says it all and is also probably purposefully misleading. The show is a collaboration with Marcel, and other Nunis family members from around the world.
Final performance: 8 p.m. Saturday March 13.
“Piaf and Brel: The Impossible Concert” — If its not clear, the title refers to French musical icons Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel. For this show, vocalist Melanie Gall “relives the adventure and inspiration of their lives and music.” She also sings the hits, live from a Paris bistro (which is actually her mother’s living room).
You can see an example of the show, here (spoilers, obviously).
Final performance is 5 p.m. Friday March 12.
The daily songs of Pieter Moerdyk
Pieter Moerdyk has a rather extensive collection of songs posted up on his Facebook page. He’s been doing daily performances since the pandemic began; 340 songs as of early March (and he’s yet to play “Proud May,” though has covered the Beatles and Sam Cooke).
This isn’t studio material, rather Moerdyk and a guitar and a cell phone, kind of capturing the happenings of the day. Think of it as musical journaling.
It is a lot to scroll through his feed if you haven’t been following along, but worth it to hear Moerdyk’s minimalist arrangements. I just wish the videos were being archived somewhere more accessible.
Slayer, Wilson Theatre, Aug. 23, 1994 — a BANDGEEEK throwback
Fresno has been featured in a good number of bootleg concert videos over the years.
A Youtube user by the name of Fresno Media Restoration had some great footage from the Selland Arena in the late ’70s and ’80s, though it appears his page has been taken down (if anyone has more info on this guy, please let me know).
But Fromthenosebleeds (one word) has an amazing collection of bootleg concert footage from throughout the ’90s (and into the early 2000s). While the bulk of the footage (all metal and alt. rock) comes from Bay area venues, there’s this gem, which was recorded at the Wilson Theatre Aug. 23, 1994.
Fresno was one of the few U.S. dates band played as tune up for a South American tour in support of “Divine Intervention,” the band’s first album without Dave Lombardo. A month later they were playing the Monsters of Rock Festival with Kiss and Black Sabbath.
The show is broken into two parts, each about 45 minutes. The sound a picture quality are quite good, though neither totally captures the utter insanity of metal shows at the Wilson Theatre in the ’90s. You kinda had to be there.
If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com