Your monthly dump (of area concerts for May 2023)
Lil Jon at the Tequila Fest, Stoneshiver hosts is annual Jamboree and a solo gig from the original Misfits guitarist. And that just one Saturday.
The dates on the calendar keep moving … insert your favorite Justin Timberlake “It’s Gonna Be May” meme here and let’s get on with things.
Here is this month’s semi curated, and somewhat, but not entirely comprehensive Fresno-area concerts list (grouped by week for sake of ease).
Week 1 (May 1-6)
Great Room Shows presents, Thrownout, Velvateen, JNX, Dubiety, 6 p.m. Friday, May 5, the Great Room. $5, all ages.
Cold, Divide the Fall, Awake for Days, Sygnal to Noise, Big Elk and Severed, 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, Fulton 55. $20-$25.
Black Belt Eagle Scout, Claire Glass and Adobo, 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, Strummer’s. $16. All ages.
The Purple Ones an Insatiable Tribute to Prince, 6 p.m. Friday, May 5, Englemann Cellars, $25.
Cinco De Mega, 7 p.m. Saturday May 6, Woodward Park, $48.
For years, Fresno had a large and vibrant annual mariachi festival. In 2022, Fresno State brought back the idea and hosted its inaugural concert/festival at the Save Mart Center.
The Fresno State Mariachi Festival returns to the Save Mart Center Saturday, May 6, with Mariachi Los Camperos De Jesús “Chuy” Guzmán, Mariachi Los Reyes, Ana Barbara and Majo Aguilar. Tickets are $29-$199 and on sale now.
Hyacinth and Avenue Army, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 6, The Howling Wolf.
Week 2 (May 7-13)
Sparta, Wiretap Scars 20 year celebration tour with ‘68 and Geoffrey Rickly of Thursday, 6 p.m. Tuesday May 9, Strummer’s. $27, all ages.
An evening with Judy Collins, 8 p.m. Tuesday May 9, Tower Theater. $30-$59.
Lion Heights, 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, Full Circle Brewery.
(((folkYEAH!))) presents Shannon and the Clams and Shana Cleveland, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11, Fulton 55. $20.
In a big score for Fresno, Numbskull Shows landed pop-punk pioneers Decendents for a show at the Tioga Sequoia beer garden. It’s one of mid-to-large-scale tours the production company is hosted at the brewery (Also: Set if Off, May 27).
This is the kind of show that Fresnans would typically be traveling to see, so we should see a full force of local punkers, plus more than a few out-of-towners coming in.
The show is 7 p.m. Friday, May 12. The Bombpops and Plasma Canvas open. Tickets are $38 and all ages.
It’s not often we get a local band playing up its debut show the way Delinquent seems to be doing it. The band features the Falcon and James Johnson from Betrayel, Lee Tabor from Six Ounce Gloves and Dave Askew from Death Alley Motor Cult, Dead Garden and Vultures Over Vegas.
The show happens 8 p.m. Friday, May 12 at Fulton 55 with openers Spacehooker, Friend or Faux and Trail by Fire. Tickets are $10-$15.
Week 3 (May 14-20)
Felly, Goodmorning Broken World tour, 7 p.m. Sunday, May 14, Strummer’s. $25, all ages.
Elder, Ruby The Hatchet and Howling Giant, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, Strummer’s. $20, all ages.
Cultist, Blindwolf, Running with Scissors, Lead the Way, 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, Destructive Warehouse. $10, all ages.
Fishbone, with Bite Me Bambi, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18. $30-$35.
Kiss Country Summer Concert No 1., featuring Craig Morgan, 5 p.m. Thursday, May 18, Woodward Park Amphitheater. $8.
Tribute of a Down, Godzilla Radio and The Red Coats, 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 19, Fulton 55. $10-$15.
Taste of Chaos tribute night, 6 p.m. Saturday, May 20, Full Circle Brewing Company. $10-$15.
The minds behind Taco Truck Throwdown are expanding their portfolio of annual party options with Tequila Fest. Obviously, you’ll be able to do some tequila tastings and there will be food trucks and the like, but the draw here is a lineup of music that includes rappers T.I., Rick Ross and Lil Jon (can we get a duet with DeJa Skye? Maybe??).
The festival kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday May 20 at Chukchansi Park. Tickets are $50-$200.
Down in Kingsburg, Stone Shiver is hosting its annual Jamboree rock-in-roll picnic in the park. Stoneshiver is headlining (obviously) with a lineup that includes 40 Watt Hype, Ted Nunes and The Stereo Hopeful.
The Stoneshiver Jamboree starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 20 at the Kingsburg Historical Park. Tickets are $15 and all ages.
Also on Saturday, May 20 … Doyle, aka Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, aka the some-times Danzig side man and ex-but-also-still guitarist for the original Misfits (and also just the regular Misfits).
Doyle plays Strummer’s with his self-named solo project, which features Cancerslug frontman Alex Story (who is worth seeing). Tickets are $18 and all ages.
Week 4 (May 21-27 and 28-31)
Taking it to the Streets; the Music of Michael McDonald, 6 p.m. Sunday May 21, Fulton 55. $20.
G Perico, Rucci, 7 p.m. Sunday, May 21, Strummer’s. $25, all ages.
Matchbox Twenty with Matt Nathanson, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, Save Mart Center. $39.50-$179.50.
Indie Rock Night with MightAsWell, Jesus H Macey and From Flowers to Flies. 8 p.m. Wednesda,y, May 24, Strummer’s (grill side). Free, all ages.
Forced to Suffer, Bulldog (album release show) Thousand Yard Stare, Avulsion, Burn Unit, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 25, Strummer’s. $10-$15, all ages.
The Winery Dogs, 8 p.m. Thursday May 25, Tower Theater. $39.50-$59.50.
Great Room Shows presents, Empty, Lightworker, Beheading of the Queen, Cloud Construction and Dissident, 6 p.m. Friday, May 26, the Great Room. $5, all ages.
Set it Off, the Dopamine tour, with Weathers, In Her Own Words and Rivals, 6 p.m. Saturday, May 27, Tioga Sequoia. $27, all ages.
Dead Eye Shows revives its ’90s Cover Show for a seventh time. The idea here is simple: Your favorite local bands covering their favorite ‘90s bands. Historically, these shows draw crowds.
Bands being covered include: Rage Against The Machine, Reel Big Fish, Green Day, Creed and Incubus.
The show happens 8 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at Strummer’s. Tickets are $10 and all ages.
Nascar Aloe, Hey Asshole! plus Deathproof Inc. 8 p.m.. Wednesday, May 31, Strummer’s. $16, all ages.
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