THE FRESNAN

Creative Weekend Choices For Any Fresnan

FRIDAY

The first Friday of the month means it's Blender time. The Creative Fresno event that, in the words of Blake Jones "It's sort of a happy hour get together for creative types who want to either: a) change the world or b) have a good time." Yeah, something like that.

This month's edition is a little bit more special as it's happening in an interesting venue: Urban Salvage Central Valley. It's kinda their grand opening and CF is helping celebrate. There will be some cocktails and appetizers. Plus some music from the aforementioned Blake Jones and the Trike Shop. If that isn't enough, we hear that there's going to be some fire-breathing stuff from Jamie Holt.

Where: Urban Salvage Central Valley - 1515 Broadway Street
Time: 5 - 8 p.m.
Web: www.creativefresno.com

SATURDAY

Yes, the Bulldogs have a game against SLO, but there is alternatives for the non football fan. Downtown at the DCAC, street closures and good times:

 

Portland Getting Out Of Hand With Their Biking Ways

The U.S. Census Bureau has released the bike to work stats for 2009 for America's biggest cities. As you can see, Portland is insane. Those smelly rain-soaked indie hill folk, are insane. Look how far ahead they are from the other top cities. Maybe they should start a Drive To Work program just so they don't look so smug.

If you're like us, you're curious where Fresno is on this list: 35 out of 70. Decent, decent. A lot of room for improvement but it feels like we've been doing that this year since this is becoming Bike Lane City. We were 37th in 2008 so it's a small step forward. There was a 28% rise in Fresnans biking to work from 2008. In total, 00.75% of Fresnans bike to work. In Portland 5.81% bike their ass to work.

So, we'll just put that whole we're-coming-for-you-Portland thing on the back burner and maybe set our sights on the 34th ranked city. YA HERE THAT, RIVERSIDE!? YOU'RE OUR NEW BIKE BITCH!*

*You can look at the complete stats here.
[Source: Phily Bicycle Coalition and Bike League]

What You Missed Last Night: Some Mucca Crazy Ass Stuff At The Olympic

The crappy video below doesn't do them justice (even if it was good it wouldn't) but Mucca Pazza was some of the wildest, coolest, nerd-awesome stuff ever seen rolling through Fresno. If the fine folks at Love The Captive are ever able to bring them back: GO. Just for the experience alone.

More:

Expect some Mucca Pazza in Fresno related stuff from Mike Oz, Famous Whitewater and Dead In 60 Years, soon.

Tonight @ The Olympic: Like, This Whole Big Production

You saw the flier, looks like some crazy shit is going to be up in Audie's tonight with this Mucca Pazza. Mike Oz did a full blown interview with Mucca - it's a good read. Are only question to the band tonight will be "Does the cheerleader get paid the same as, say, the drummer?"

If that doesn't look interesting enough, Fresno's own staight up punk rockers, It'll Grow Back, are playing. Plus, The New Up - they were voted Best Bay Area Breakout Band of 2009.

So it looks like these Mucca Pazza guys are a bunch of former band geeks. One wonders if Fresno's version, Yersterday's Chonies, will show up outside the club (as they have at other Fresno venues) and try to battle the Mucca Pazza folks.

This video shows you what Mucca Pazza is all about:

 

Pick Up Your Damn Hi-C Boxes You Dirty Fresnans

Those Fresno State kids had entirely too much fun cleaning up after your lazy tire-dumping ass.

Tower Tonight: Al & The Black Cats at The Olympic and The Hoff Man's Favorite Island Groove Band

Ya can't beat free live music with a black kitty. Tonight Audie's Olympic (or The Olympic, whichever you prefer - "The Olympic" sounds cooler, doesn't it?) has something good AND free. Michigan punk/rockabilly band, Al & The Black Cats, are making a Fresno stop as they tour various parts of Earth. They've got a newish album out and they like to fucking bring it, live.

Also there, a little change of pace with popish Alaskan singer/songwriter, David Velasquez. He is the frontman for the band Stadium, which is well loved back in Alaska, maybe soon Fresno.

And just so we're not completely without Fresno talent tonight, the very entertaining, DJ Dinobyte, will spin classic rebel rockabilly, exotic hillbilly zydeco, psychedelic country folk, and a load more. Yes it's free, starts around 9pm.

OH BUT WAIT! There's something else going on in the Tower (other than streets closing and businesses needing support). There's this at Starline:

Fulton Corridor Meetings: Wait. There Were No Brawls? Nobody Even Acted Buttholish? Well That's Boring

Nope. Nobody threw down Monday night at the Fulton Mall workshop. In fact, some were impressed by how non-buttholish everyone was. The main wow factor item unveiled was the Eight Fulton Mall Alternatives:

1. Do nothing (hey, it's already budgeted)
2. Restore it.
3. Restore it and open up cross streets.
4. Keep south and center closed.
5. Keep the center closed.
6. Reconnect to grid 1.0 (small street through the mall).
7. Reconnect to grid 2.0 (bigger street).
8. Reconnect to grid 3.0 (say bye bye to Fulton Mall).

Number two seems ideal to this blog, but number three sounds interesting too. Let's just hope it's not number one or eight and go from there. But really, if there was money to throw at the mall, our humble suggestion is to make living in and renovating spaces above the Fulton Mall, the easiest thing there ever was to accomplish ever in Fresno. Then get crackin' on fixing the mall part.

For those that missed the Fulton Mall workshop, lots of nerds bloggers were there Monday, even if one douchey nerd wasn't, to get you up to speed. We know that James already has a post up. Maybe Conlan? Those Beehivers probably will. Dumb Drum perhaps? Funny man Travis? Famous Whitewater is famous for Fulton talk. And Archop must have one coming.

The workshops continue tonight with "Limited Economic Resources: What is the Development Strategy for Fulton District, Cultural Arts District, South Stadium, Chinatown" ZZzzzzz ZZzzzzzz

Battles!: Save The Fulton Mall Fresnans vs. Traffic The Fulton Mall Fresnans

 

Tonight. From 5 to 8. Two rival Fresno gangs (Save The Fulton Mall Gang and Fulton Mall Traffic Gang) will be locked into one room (probably not locked) at the Downtown Holiday Inn, to finally end the debate for good (nothing will be decided). End the debate of whether or not the mall should be pulled out so cars can drive down the Fulton Mall.

Yeah, okay, so the debate won't end after Monday's meeting (it's really a workshop and less of a debate). But both groups will surely be there and they don't seem to like each other that much and they're going to be forced to "workshop" together. Should be fun. Speaking of fun or whatever, did you see the meeting/workshop on Saturday that kicked off this whole week of Fulton Corridor Plan talk stuff? It turned into a Social Studies class out of nowhere. Seriously, we took this class at City, like, twice. James Collier did a nice live blog post of the whole thing, if you haven't seen. They made people do stuff (HA ha).

The Fulton Mall is maybe the most polarizing (whatever that means) issue in Fresno (well, outside of the debate: Which is better teppanyaki: Yoshino's or Edo-Ya?). It should be a fun night of talking about the mall, even if we're all sick to FUCKING DEATH OF TALKING ABOUT IT.

Bandgeek!: One Hell Of A Weekend For Fresno Music

Here once again to help you plan your weekend of live local music enjoying. This week's edition has an overpacked Friday night. Sadly you can't Tivo what's happening at the other venues, but if you at least pick one, you'll be given our award of Awesome Fresnan.

Let's BANDGEEK!

FRIDAY

AUDIE'S OLYMPIC: Wow. Not many chances to see Let's Go Bowling and there's one tonight. Fresno ska fans and lovers of live music overall love these guys. They are a Fresno Top Five All Time band. Plus you've got more local ska quality in a more youthful form with King Sugar. Details:

NEIGHBORHOOD THRIFT CAFE: For realz Italian bands are coming through town tonight with progressive/jazz/punk bands Neo and Tribraco. If you're a fan of the local band, Racelegs, you'll like these guys. Plus, it's always intriguing to hear legit European bands stopping in to Fresno. Locals Bicicleta and Local Honey will help make this a can't miss-er. Details:

Fresnans To Reacquaint Themselves With Armen Nalbandian Tonight @ Audie's Olympic

It's been a while since fans have heard from jazz musician, Armen Nalbandian, so that will make tonight's listening party at Audie's Olympic that much more special. If you're unfamiliar with Armen's talents, get familair. Let's just say the guy is freaking talented.

Tonight's party starts at 9:00 and is free. DJ Bradley will do what he do, for a while. Then around 10:00, wrap yourself around your favorite drink while listening to Armen's latest effort "To Repel Ghosts". The cover charge is waived for you because you're awesome and a lover of local music.

You can have a mini listening party of your own on the internets by going to Armen's Bandcamp page. Or you can use the player below:

 

 

 

BATTLES!: That Violin Dude vs That Roller Girl

 

On one side of the Palamino's bar: Patrick Contreras. You know his violin ways and his band - maybe MAYBE the most prolific in Fresno.

On the other side: Joey Fernandez. You know her from her "Lola La Chola" Smog City Roller Girrls days, and for being THE person you want to party with when you're out in the Tower.

The reason they're battling behind the bar is: Creative Fresno's Mural Project. They will be taking your drink orders and TRYING to make them. In turn, you tip them for the effort and that tip goes into "their jar". The person with the most money in their tip jar gets to say they have more awesome friends than the other one, for the rest of their lives. The Mural Project gets the tip money in the end, which is like the point and all.

It starts at 6:30 and goes till 9:00, but the tip taking will stop around 8:30 so there's time to count the proceeds and give out the results. More details here and here. These things are always fun and this time it's a good way to pre-party before that Pub Quiz thing happening down the street and the comedy show (at Audie's Olympic?) with Modesto's Jay Smith.

Appointment Radio: Joe Moore's KFSR Finale This Morning

Joe Moore, DJ and Station Manager at KFSR, will be leaving that posistion at 90.7 and joining Valley Public Radio as their Director of Program Content. But before he does that, he'll have one last DJ shift for KFSR from 9 to Noon playing the jazz he knows and loves. If you don't like the old-time-y radio, you can listen online or with the Public Radio iPhone app.

There is no truth to the rumor (we just started) that Joe is going to KRZR to turn the Wild Bunny into all jazz all the time with an 80's rock edge, format.

Askin' You: Where In The Fresno Is This House?

Do you know where this house is? Here is what's currently known: It's in Fig Garden (well, that would be OLD Fig Garden to us now). It's probably between 1910 and 1920 when this Pop Laval pic was taken. It may have been build for a W.F. Jennings.

That's the info so far on the Pop Laval Foundation's Facebook Page. Last time we did this, Joe Moore figured out the question in, like, 20 seconds. So, do you know this house?

Video Dump: Argyle Pimps Are Still Damn Entertaining

Saw the Argyle Pimps recently at Starline. It had been a bit since the last time. Almost forgot how damn entertaining those dudes are. Good band too. Internet beats. In_ter_net beats:

If you've been missing the Argyle Pimps and you like the smell of cow shit while driving down 99, you might want to see the boys do it in the South Valley this weekend:

Tonight @ Neighborhood Thrift Cafe: Fay Wrays, Grand Armada and Microtia

This is when the immediacy of the blogoshpere (and some found WiFi for posting stuff during lunch hours) can do some good, as a local show that's happening tonight, just popped up on the radar. Three slightly killer, mostly awesome, post punky, bands are playing at the all-ages Neighborhood Thrift Cafe.

Fresno's Fay Wrays, Madera's Grand Armada and Portland's Microtia all have plans to attended. A member of Microtia, bass player Oliver Merson, is from Fresno, but let's try not to hold his defecting-to-Portland ways against him.

Doors open around 8pm and it's a $5 cover. Portanders or not, it's a pretty strong way to spend a Monday night in Fresno, we say.