THE FRESNAN

New Year's Eve Fresno: Legends, Booze and Cab Rides

Many sweet Fresno choices for New Year's Eve partying. The Blogfather already has it all broken down for you. The obvious choice is national treasure/living blues legend BB King playing after Fresno's Musician Dude of the Year, Patrick Contreras at The Warnors. Audie's looks good as well, so does Palominos and Starline.

Whatever you choose to do, get yourself a sober ride by guilting one of your friends or actually taking a *gasp* Fresno cab ride. Just don't do that dick move where you convince the bartender to call you a cab and then you see someone you know who offers you a ride and then you totally bail and never tell the bartender or the cab company. Jack. Ass.

Maybe you'll get lucky and get in a Cash Cab:

Indie Tuesday: Fresno Podcaster Music

It must be podcaster day today as Fresno's only band with a podcast, The Overdubs are playing tonight at Starline with Sleepwell, The Loveseats and Burgundy. Something tells me they will at least have all their mics turned on.

The Fresnan Presents: Dorktown Episode 68

Humbly brought to you by The Fresnan it's Dorktown Podcast Episode 68. It's unsafe listening for work and small English speaking children. If you're brave enough to listen, you can expect that hosts Mikey and Bells's mics will be too loud and the guests (Derek and Aaron) mics won't be working at all (there is a payoff for that if you can listen to the whole show). You can also expect three celeb guests to show up, and Mikey sounding like a dumbshit. Download: DorktownEpisode68.mp3 Or just use this player:

FOCUSED ON FRESNO: Stolen Pictures Edition

This picture wasn't taken by us this time. It was taken by a gentleman named Richard George in Fresno's Chinatown. It strikes me as something that belongs in Tony Stamolis's "Frezno" book. While we're here: FUCK that book. Yeah, I said it.

Music Box Fresno: Fashawn at Starline Video

Maybe this is a little late but you wouldn't have been paying attention if this was posted last week anyway. Last Tuesday night, Fresno's Fashawn (among others) sold out Starline on a Tuesday night. And that was with a ticket price of 18 bucks. Very impressive, since I thought the only Fresno musician that could pack a place with that high a ticket price was Patrick Contreras. Video of Fashawn at Starline:

Fashawn feat. Evidence - Our Way (Produced By Exile) Live In Fresno CA from AlwaysHustle.com on Vimeo.

Bloggiest Moment of the Week: A Bad Falcon Christmas

This week is a tough one because it was a holiday week and things can be kinda slow. You could say the 'moment' was Christmas itself - there was plenty of posting about it. But no, I have to go with the Fresno Falcons pulling-the-goalie on Fresno. Six decades of minor league hockey in Fresno is suddenly gone. Still stings. I guess that means I'll be hitting up more Fresno State basketball games to compensate my winter sport viewing.

What the hell is the city going to do with that ice in Selland anyway? Maybe they should open it up to the public. Yes? Gateway might not like that too much though.

*Every Saturday night at 1:01 am, The Fresnan posts the most interesting thing that happened during a week of Fresno blogging. Sometimes something is missed, once in while we hit the mark though. As always, you can leave a comment letting us know if it was right or wrong.

Fresgeek Saturday: Big Ass Kirins For Everyone!

Tonight's Fresgeeky pick is Tokyo Garden. This is where Rademacher, Gypsy Cab, Succulent and Brother Luke and the Comrades will be playing. Go there. Get a big Japanese beer. Enjoy.

Bad Blogger Comedy: City Lights Losing Its Liquor License

Tragic. Simply tragic. Fresno strip club, City Lights, got its liquor license suspended on Friday. There's a good joke in there somewhere, I just can't think of a defining one:

• When City Lights Management was told the news, they were immediately forced to raise their diet coke prices 900 percent.
• The bar in the Airport Holiday Inn is looking into installing a stripper pole to help keep the balance.
• No liquor at a strip club? That's like no beer at Bulldog Stadium... oh wait.
• There's no WAY K-Fed is coming back to Fresno now.
• First the Falcons, now this?
• Why didn't Fresno pull their License to Suck?
• How are the women supposed to look hot if I'm not drunk and how are they going to act like they like me if they're sober?
• Dammit! Now I can't use the old line "I just go there to have a couple drinks, I never look at the girls."

Alright, maybe I can't think of a good one at all. Write something better in the comments. Please.

Fresgeek Friday: It's Neckbeard Night at Club Fred

Tonight, Lightnin Woodcock (man, I wish my woodcock was lightnin') has returned to Fresno's Club Fred/Audie's Olympic, with his neck-beard and his punk-psychedelic infused blues. Coming along for the ride is Fresno's own Motel Drive (great name for a local band) and Santonie's Revenge.

Hey, ya gotta take your out-of-town guests somewhere tonight. Why not take them out to see the greatest neck-beard of all time?

Check out some poor quality video of Lightnin doing ACDC:

Merry Christmas, Fresno!

To all the readers of The Fresnan and to Fresno's great blogosphere: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

**Picture is from Simpson Avenue display on the 500 block of West Simpson next to Fruit. It's small but spunky. Check it out if you're in the area.

It's Christmas Eve and I'm Hungry

Where the hell are the Christmas tamales?
It's not much of a Valley Christmas without them and I haven't acquired any this year... jerks. Where's the best place to pick some up today?

Anyway, if you have family coming in from Fresnan Runaway Central Portland (like me) scan some recent traffic cams (click the dots) to get an idea of what they are dealing with - it's been snowing. You can also check the SoCal and Reno action.

Tonight: Don't Wait For Santa Alone

You don't have to be bored at home, waiting for Santa. You can wait for him at Veni's with some beats and cool Fresnans:

Indie Tuesday: Can Hip Hop Be Indie?

Ya know, Fashawn just might be Fresno's top artist right now. If you don't believe me, read what Mike Oz has to say about him. He'll tell ya the man is going places. Well, Fashawn is playing at the Tower District's Starline club tonight with Evidence, Richie Cunning and Coley Cole.

Tickets are 18 bucks. Much more than the usual five bones for a Tuesday at Starline, but this isn't your usual Tuesday indie night. I guess you could say if you're charging more than five dollars for a Fresno show, you must have something going on.

Music Box Fresno: Fresno Christmas Tunes #2

Last time, Fresno's own Victory Jump provided some Christmas music for the local blogosphere. This time, The Sleepover Disaster is bringing some Fresno Holiday music goodness with their very different take on Santa Is Coming To Town - probably the best guitar solo for any Christmas song ever, btw. Have some fun with it like they did and download it here: SleepoverSanta.mp3
Or you can just listen to it by playing this:

Not to be out done, Rademacher has put together a four song Christmas EP. You can hear some of it at their Myspace and if you want to download it or get a hard copy, email them (greersy@gmail.com). And, Fresno blogger, Ed Stewart, has some Christmas music from Fresno show regulars Death To Anders. Enjoy that.

Updated: We're Not Losing Hockey in Fresno Are We? YES WE ARE

UPDATE: The Fresno Falcons are officially closed for business. Pro hockey in Fresno is no more. You could say it's the economy but I'm not buying that. Other valley cities (Bakersfield and Stockton) are at the top of the ECHL in attendance and are doing well. So this just comes down to bad management and apathetic Fresnans. I love the Falcons and will miss them terribly and I can understand why my fellow Fresnans couldn't at least match up to Stockton and Bakersfield.

I Also feel bad for the Falcon players and coaching staff. Head Coach Matt Thomas has worked his ass off for this franchise and Fresno has been lucky to have him here. This just plain sucks. Fresno = Fail!

PRIOR POST: It was a bit of a rough weekend for Fresno sports. Coach Hill's Bulldogs lost another game they shouldn't have, and word is, due to financial problems with the Falcons owners, Fresno's ECHL franchise is close to folding. The ECHL needs to know what the Falcons are doing and if the city (or somebody) doesn't step in and help, what the Falcons may be doing is not playing hockey.

This can't really be happening, can it? Was it actually a bad call for the Falcons to move back to Selland or does that have little to do with it? Are we ready for 60 years of Falcon hockey to be done?