Tower Porchfest reveals its map today. It's going to be bonkers.
Plus, a throwback to Michelle Branch's Fresno-centric 'Goodbye to You' music video.
Depending on when you’re reading this, Tower Porchfest either is hosting, or will-have hosted, its pre-party brunch and map reveal.
It’s today at noon (April 6) at Gazebo Gardens.
While it is the official kick off to Porchfest and our first real look at the 367 unique bands and performers, those in the scene know that the back-and-forth has been playing out for months now as porch hosts work to curate their final lineups.
Already, we’ve seen a few leak out (this nowhere near a full rendering on things and mostly stuff I’ve seen or know about, so please leave a comment to add to the list).
Laura Splotch has been teasing the Punk Palace lineup for weeks. As the name implies this is for the punk rockers (or those punk adjacent). Self promotion alert: It’ll Grow Back is performing after a year-plus hiatus.
Great Rooms Shows and Hamps Day Off have teamed up on the Roosevelt Manor porch. It will feature nearly two dozen bands, plus vendors and special merch that will only be available for the day. If you want to know where the “scene” is right now (especially among the younger set of bands/musicians) this is a good place to start.
According to the address, “Porch Fred Four” is happening in front a thrift-store on Belmont Avenue that happens to share a parking lot with the soon-to-be opened (from the looks of things) cannabis dispensary Beyond Rooted (which is also listed here as a presenting sponsor). Of note: the Fred in this case is Fred Martinez, who ran Club Fred for years and still has connections in the local scene.
The South Tower Community Land Trust is hosting “Protest Songs at the Hitching Post” (815 E. Dudley Ave.) with Brandon Freeman, Han N Jer and others.
I’m sharing this line up at Farris Ranch based on the flier alone, although reading through the performer descriptions, it’s musically up my alley, too.
Also intrigued by this flier for the China Cat Corner.
And this, for something they’re calling Tower Porchfest Suburbia.
I’ll do my own self-promotion on social media (and in another post, most likely), but will tell you to look out for lineups from Brother Luke and the Comrades, Tower District Love/Valley Echoes and the crew at Van Ness Village.
Seriously though, the best thing to do is go to the Tower Porchfest website and spend some time working through the search and map functions.
Revisiting Michelle Branch’s ‘Goodbye to You’ video
This one comes via the Fresno subreddit, apropos of the demolition of the grain silos on H Street.
It’s a throwback to Michelle Branch’s 2002 song, “Goodbye to You,” the video for which was filmed in and around Fresno and features several landmark locations for those who know to look.
Of note: The video was directed by the guy who did “Constantine,” and the “Hunger Games.”
According to this MTV Making the Video segment, the crew spent at least two days filming in the area. That includes some rather prescient scenes of Branch driving through a forest fire in Sierra National Park, but also hanging out the Vagabond Hotel and riding in a freight train along the railroad track behind those aforementioned silos.
There are also shots of the silos themselves, and also the Hardy’s theater for some reason. See for yourself. The real Fresno stuff starts around the 2:25 mark.
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. I’m in the studio solo tonight. 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