Warnors Theatre books Gary Numan, brings on Ineffable Live as its exclusive talent buyer
Plus, 'The Voice' battle rounds begin tomorrow and Brother Luke on cassette.
Topping Fresno’s entertainment news for me this week is the Warnors Theatre, which on Tuesday announced an April 9 date with Gary Numan.
Tickets are on sale now.
Taken on its own, the concert is more or less exciting, depending on your understanding of Numan and his contributions to electronic music (i.e., whether he’s more to you than just the dude who sung “Cars”).
But, as I reported over at The Fresno Bee, the announcement matters mostly as a harbinger of things to come.
It is the first official show booked under a deal with Ineffable Live, which the theater brought on in July as its exclusive talent buyer.
Ineffable Live has a full portfolio of venues that its owns and/or operates across the state, including the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo (which recently had a pop-up with the Foo Fighters), the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma and the Cornerstone in Berkeley.
It’s also part of a national network of independent venues, which means, theoretically at least, it has the knowledge, connections and pull to get performers that might not otherwise route though Fresno, especially given the theater’s 2,000-seat capacity (one of the largest in the company’s roster).
The deal runs through 2028 and is expected to bring in two to three shows a month, once its fully ramped up. That would be a more than 100% increase in bookings.
The theater’s non-profit board will continue the daily operations and retains the right to bring in community events and the like. It will also continue booking the center’s two other venues (Frank’s Place and Star Palace).
The company is promising live music, but also comedy and live podcasts among other offerings.
We’ve seen Warnors work as a live entertainment venue, including recently with Neil Young’s Crazy Horse reunion, Audra McDonald’s GCP hometown concert, or more recently still, with visits from Bill Burr and Morrissey.
Having that level of performer in Fresno, on a monthly basis (hell, every other month even) would be a game changer. So, as a bit of reader participation, who could see doing well at the theater?
Tune in: Ralph Edwards battle round, The Voice. Season 28
For those wanting following along, Ralph Edwards is heading into the battle round on Monday night’s episode of “The Voice.”
This will determine if the Fresno singer makes it to the Knockout round, the third stage of the season’s competition.
I haven’t been following the show’s progress since Edward’s earned his spot, so I am extrapolating from the Wikipedia page for the season and from Edward’s Instagram account, where he’s posted multiple pictures of himself with coach Snoop Dogg.
It appears he’ll be battling it out against Jerrell Melton, with help from non other than Lizzo.
If he wins the match up, he moves on to the next round. Even if he loses, there’s a chance he can be stolen by another coach or saved by his own coach, though according to my math from the Wikipedia chart, it appears that Snoop has already used his save and steal, which means there’s only one more open position on that team.
Check in next week to see what happens, or watch yourself 7 p.m. tomorrow (or streaming on Tuesday).
On cassette: Brother Luke / Zack Zeller
This one is for fans of physical media. Specifically, the cassette tape, which, like so much physical media these days, is seeing a resurgence.
See: Mike Seay’s The Tape Player blog.
Side one features Redding indie-folkster Zack Zeller.
Side two features Fresno’s own Brother Luke, performing sans the Comrades and includes the song “Summer/Home,” which is a favorite of mine (done brilliantly by Sunburns on the 2013 compilation Fresno Covers Fresno).
It’s an old release (like by a decade now) and not readily available through a record label (though you can find the digital version via Bandcamp). I’m gonna say a quick message could maybe get you a copy in the mail, if you’re interested.