Upcoming: The Stoneshiver Jamboree, an Abba sing along, June's Art Hop and more
Plus, does Peal Jam need drummer?
Here are few upcoming concerts to mark on the calendar.
Stoneshiver is back with its (now) annual Stoneshiver Jamboree, which the band describes as a kind of church picnic with beer.
The south Valley rock band held its firs jamboree last year as a way or easing back into the live performance thing in the midst of the pandemic. It was outside and had limited compacity, but was so well received they decided to immediately lock in a date for year two.
And here we are.
Stoneshiver Jamboree 2022 happens 5 p.m. Saturday May 21, at the Kingsburg Historical Park. Tickets are $10 and available online.
Stoneshiver will headline again, but they have extended the lineup to included two openers — the Foo Fighter’s tribute Dave’s Not Here and The Stereo Hopeful.
There will also be tacos, barbecue and craft beer along with a fun zone for kids.
Side note: The Stereo Hopeful released a new track in conjunction with the jamboree (with an EP to follow). “Truth Be Told” was written by guitarist/singer Bryan DeBaets with a friend from Oklahoma and sort of resurrected from the vault.
“The song was written at a time, not unlike today, where the news both globally and locally weren’t reporting the best qualities of man,” bassist Adrian Oceguera says.
“In spite of constant ‘I feel like it's missing something’ doubt, we finally tracked this song and are putting it out into the world with plans for a string accompanied version later this year.”
The song is streaming on the band’s website now. The band hopes to have its EP in distribution for the jamboree. You can hear the song (and an interview with Stoneshiver) on tonight’s Homegrown show on NewRock 104.1.
Because Kingsburg is that happening of a place, Saturday also marks the second year of the Abba tribute concert/sing along. This is exactly what its sounds like; a live band performs all of Abba’s hits while encouraging the crowd to sing along, which they do, because, how can you not with Abba, right?
The concert is held in conjunction with the city’s Swedish Festival, so it’s totally on brand (Abba being Sweden’s main musical export outside of death metal. Check out Amon Amarth).
The Abba tribute band includes a host of local players people might recognize including Pinkeye guitarist/singer Andrew “Bad/Dad Andy” Bunnell.
Also on the radar:
Sun Umbra is finally getting a proper unveiling.
The psych-rock supergroup has done a few shows since it formed last year, and has some really rad merchandise floating around. But mostly the band has been in practice-space work mode.
The band performs a free show, June 2 at Tioga Sequoia (this is an ArtHop night so the crowds should be good). Also on the lineup are Dying Suns (check out their stellar EP “Starcade”) and Great Northern, the electronic-ish duo featuring one-time Earlimart guitarist Solon Bixler.
Because Fresno likes to give people choices (or just make them choose), Denver al-country punk band The Yawpers also plays June 2 (at Fulton 55). The band is signed to Chicago’s Bloodshot Records and is an amazing blend of country-ish twang and punk-rawk fury. I caught them opening for the Supersuckers in 2016 and though they captured the night.
Victim of Propaganda (the stripped down acoustic-ish live version with me on guitar) opens the show. Tickets are $15 and available now.
Peal Jam enlists fans to play drum; is in Fresno Monday, so …
Those tracking Pearl Jam’s current tour (which rolls into Fresno Monday night) probably heard news that drummer Matt Cameron tested positive for COVID 19 and was forced to miss the last few shows (the first shows he’s missed in like a quarter century).
The band carried on with a slate of fill-in drummers, including Josh Klinghoffer, Richard Stuverud, Stone Gossard and … a couple of local players, who the band pulled up on stage to sit in on a song each night.
All this begs the question whether this will become standard practice for the remainder of the tour and what that might mean for tomorrow night’s show at the Save Mart Center.
I can think of a bunch of likely candidates (Brandon Freeman, Audrey Johnson, Tony Montanez) if the band is looking?
Who would you think should sit in with Pearl Jam?
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. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com