Upcoming: Visalia gets a master class and concert from jazz guitarist Julian Lage
Plus, hear new music from ex-Newsted members Underlord and Berner cancels on Fresno.
There was time when the Fresno area reaped the benefit of its locational proximity to giant festivals like Coachella. This was before the festivals implemented strict radius clauses and bands could visit the area’s smaller venues on their way to or from their festival dates.
It was a grand time to see performers who would normally be hard to bring through.
I mention this, because it feels like that’s what might be happening with Julian Lage, who is performing a master class and concert Sept. 27 at Visalia’s Cellar Door.
This follows a performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival, which happens Sept 23-25.
Lage is considered a major up-and-comer in the jazz world. The 34-year old guitarist was a child prodigy. He started playing at seven years old (or five, depending on the source) and was the subject of a documentary film at age eight. He played at the Grammy Awards at age 12.
On Friday, Lage releases “View with a Room,” his second album on Blue Note Records and the second with bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King (who played with The Bad Plus for those who know).
The Cellar Door show start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $26 and on sale now.
Master class tickets are $85 and include admission to the show, plus a 30 minute teaching session and 15-minute Q&A before the concert proper. Participants are not required to bring instruments an topics are not necessarily tied to instruction and technique.
Master class tickets are limited.
Underlord drops first single, set release date for debut EP
It’s been more than a year since Jes Farnsworth and Jesus Mendez, Jr. started teasing their metal project Underlord and we finally have a good sense of what the band is bringing to the table.
Last Tuesday, the band released its first single “In My Blood.”
The song is four-minutes of pretty straight-forward in-your-face metal that carries what, at this point, feels almost like a throwback vibe. It’s what you might expect from two guys who spent years playing and touring with ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted.
It’s just metal, sans any kind of subgenre designation.
“In My Blood,” is available on Bandcamp and streaming platforms. The full album (“Groundbreaker”) is out Sept. 30 with pre-orders happening now.
Side note for the nerds: The album art for “Groundbreaker” was done by Mark DeVito who created several album covers for Motorhead, Newsted, Exodus and Electric Frankenstein.
Berner cancels on Fresno; will be back Dec. 17
Berner, the Bay area rapper turned cannabis entrepreneur du jure, was slated to perform last night at Chukchansi Park.
While the show did happen, Berner wasn’t there.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the rapper explained: He had to attend his cousin’s funeral and “a routine cancer check up” that couldn’t be moved and required fasting and being at the hospital supper early the following morning.
“I was trying to work around all this but ultimately have to put the family and health 1st,” he wrote.
“My date has been moved to 12/17.”
Tickets were being swapped for the new date or refunded, though ticketholders were given the option to attend the show (DJ Quik and Too Short and NHale still performed) where they would received a $10 discount on the rescheduled date.
And now a bit of shameless self promotion
On Tuesday, New Old Man will release a new single (two songs, a digital A and B side).
“Twist the Knife,” is a brand-new song written just for this release. It is the second lyrical collaboration with Todd Williams/Victim of Propaganda (see: “Sweat out the Panic”) and inspired (at least in part) by Fresno summers, which we all know can feel oppressive and never ending.
“Into Thin Air,” was written at least a dozen years ago and imagined as a bit of a murder ballad (if not obviously or explicitly so). I had Neil Young’s “Dreaming Man,” in mind, I think: “In the meadow dusk I park my Aerostar. With a loaded gun and sweet dreams of you.”
There are other influences in both that seemed extremely obvious in the writing (Drivin N Cryin, Handsome Family), but maybe less so in the finished product.
“Twist the Knife,” b/w “Into Thin Air,” will be available on Bandcamp and all of your digital platforms.
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