Tower Porchfest is the music festival Fresno needs right now

Plus, remembering Colleen DeKoning and Fresnans featured on new compilations

The idea of Porchfest — a walkable, outdoor community concert of bands and musicians (and DJs and whatever else) playing front porches — seems like a perfect fit for the Tower District’s general vibe.

There are no shortage of homes in area with great porches on which to perform, and there’s a number of weekends each spring when the weather in Fresno is amazing through the afternoon and into the night.

How Fresno hasn’t had a Porchfest yet is beyond me and it seems somehow appropriate that our first foray comes after year-long pandemic-induced hiatus from live music.

All to say: Tower Porchfest happens Saturday April 17.

So far there are more than 30 porch “stages” signed on, with more than 45 performers doing slots throughout the day (from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. or so). Most of the porches are clumped within walking distance north of Olive Avenue between Van Ness and Palm avenues, though there are spots on the outskirts of the district, near Shields Avenue to the north and Belmont to the south, and from Blackstone Avenue to Fruit Avenue, east to west.

A map of locations, performers and schedules in available on the Tower Porchfest Facebook page.

Take some time to look through the performers. It’s not just music. There’s a lending library ribbon cutting, yoga on the lawn, a drag show, tie dye demos and interactive drumming.

My quick suggestions:

• 817 E. Weldon Ave., from 3-4 p.m. will have the brass/noise band Honks, Farts, and Cats. It sounds interactive. There will be buckets to hit.

• 1296 N. Lucerne Ave., hosted by Fresno personality Chuck Leonard the lineup includes Vince Warner (2:30-3:30 p.m.) Pieter Moerdyke (4-5 p.m.) and Cattie Ness and the Revenge (at 6 p.m.), plus barbecue from Bensmokin BBQ.

RIP Colleen DeKoning

I can’t say I knew Collen DeKoning, but I know several people who did and they shared news of her death earlier this month. DeKoning is being remembered as a prolific content creator and editor, an artist and singer songwriter and vegan.

You can hear DeKoning’s work with the Fresno band Similar Animals on Soundcloud.

Fresno musicians featured on compilations. Yay!

Here is some new (to me) music that is totally unrelated except that the musicians involved are from Fresno and the songs happen to be found on compilation albums.

Chelsea Jones is featured on “Pals,” a compilation/fundraiser/project album from Dylan Marx.

Marx asked some friends to provide a two-track song, which he then fleshed out and completed for the album. Jones did the vocal and guitar tracks for the song “Ballad of the Crow,” a one-minute, twenty-five second ode to … well, a crow. One who eats cat food and can’t fly and maybe doesn’t even know he’s a crow.

For its (almost childlike) simplicity, the song is also kind of genius.

Space Vampires can be found “File Under: A Mutant Pop Tribute RCRR​-​C004,” presented by Ramonescore Radio. This is niche on top of niche (heaven for music nerds) and one of two tribute compilations recently released for the late ’90s indie punk label.

Mutant Pop Records was based in Corvallis, Oregon and had bands like Dillinger Four and Kung Fu Monkeys and the Somethingtons, whose song “Lucy is a Neanderthal” gets a pretty straightforward reworking from Space Vampires.

Space Vampires is the Ramonescore/sci-fi punk band solo project from Michael Flores, who runs Sleepy Ghost Records. The project’s debut album “Darkness Falls” was released in March.

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