July Kicks Off With A Bang: The Week in Local Music
Well. So many things have happened in the past week. If you’ve been following along, I made my radio debut on Sunday night. While I was out of town, I got asked to be a guest on the New Rock Homegrown show with Josh Tehee. I 100% geeked out when I got that message.
I spent my high school years listening to New Rock and going to the birthday bashes and now, to actually be on the radio talking about this thing I love was pretty cool. Full transparency, I spent the entire week going through waves of excitement and full on panic. But once I sat down in the studio, both Hammer and Josh were amazing and made me feel totally at home. It was so much fun and definitely something I won’t forget anytime soon.
Now, back to business.
This week, I teamed up again with Arthur Robinson (@itsartwithwords) to give you a little glimpse of last week’s Pick of the Week. That show was brought to you by Hamp’s Day Off at Summer Fox in Tower. The lineup included Paradise Blossom, High Sunn, Junebug, and 60Juno. I asked Arthur to share a bit about the night—and here’s what he had to say:
This is a little glimpse into what June looked like through my lens—
Live music, live action, and a whole lot of energy in our local music scene.
I had the chance to attend another one of Hamp’s Day Off’s shows, their first in the Summer Fox Tower District location where Paradise Blossom, High Sunn, June Bug, & 60Juno brought the house down with their high-energy performances. The crowd was electric, and it was clear that a Hamp’s show is one not to be missed.
I often like to prepare for a concert by listening to the artist's discography. This helps me understand their musical background and plan how to capture their performance. (I appreciate it even more if they have some videos on YouTube.) However, this time, I decided not to listen in advance because I wanted to be surprised by both the local talent and the headliners. And, wow, was I surprised!
Special shout-out to High Sunn for taking the time to visit Fresno while they take one last spin around the states.
As I look back on the live music scene as we all move into the second half of the year, I'm reminded of the power of music has to bring us all together.
It's clear that our local musicians are drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources, and the result is a diverse and vibrant music scene. That's not only wonderful to see in front of the camera, but also powerful to witness behind it.
And I had the chance to meet some amazing musicians and music fans, and it's clear that we're all part of something special here in our local community.
Here are some of Arthur’s shots from that night:
Paradise Blossom
High Sunn
June Bug
60 Juno
So now let’s jump into this weeks lineup.
Pick of the Week: Hometown Split EP Release Show at Summer Fox AND The Hometown Heroes show at The Layover
This week, I’m picking two shows as my Pick of the Week.
The first pick is the Hometown Split EP Release Show at Summer Fox in Tower on Thursday night brought to you by Neon Bloom Shows. This lineup includes Lavish Youth, Mindless Society, Unlikely, and Knuckleball. Each band will be releasing two new songs, and the whole thing is free, all ages, and starts at 6 PM.
My second pick is the Hometown Heroes Neon Bloom Fundraiser Show at The Layover on Saturday night. This one helps raise money to replace and upgrade the equipment Neon Bloom uses to help make all these amazing shows happen. The lineup includes Paradise Blossom, Blazed, Shop Dog, IO Access, and Everyn. There’ll also be exclusive merch for sale! Doors at 6 PM, and it’s just $10 at the door
Tuesday July 1st
Kick off July at The Layover on Tuesday night with Jazz Tuezdayz. This week The Rabetsimba Experience will be performing. The first set starts at 7:30 pm. This is a free all ages show, but if you want to reserve a spot, text the number on the flyer, it’s just $8.
Wednesday, July 2
Open Mic Night is happening at Little Green Studio. Everyone’s welcome to perform. Show starts at 7 PM.
Also on Wednesday, head to La Esperanza in Cutler for dinner and Mariachi La Purisima, performing from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.
Thursday, July 3rd
Thursday night is packed for Arthop. Head over to Summer Fox to check out my pick of the week or check out one of these shows, but really, you should try to check out multiple.
Love Letter will be performing at Veni Vidi Vici and there will be art and vinyl curated by Erik Damien Escovedo. This one starts at 8 pm.
Sacred Heart Coffee is hosting an amazing lineup including Ari$, Private Tears and Los Beertides. This would definitely be a stop on my list. This show starts at 7 pm.
Tioga is also hosting, and this time around Jadorey Taylor, MF3 and Seven Asterisk will all be performing. The featured artist is Lil Happy Hippie. This one runs late so you have plenty of time to get out there.
The 101 also has a solid lineup that starts at 6 pm with Sun Tides, Sahab and A. Smith. Go show this venue some support because they’ve been hosting some cool shows lately.
H3avy Is Th3 H3ad is doing their official merch drop at Starchild Archives on Thursday night from 6 -9 pm. There’s 40’s and everything so go check this one out.
Procreations will have Basswar, Tarheart, Chewy, and Jaylizza. This one is 18 and over and starts at 7 pm.
Saturday July 5th
Friday, you’re on your own, but on Saturday Ben Smokin BBQ is hosting a huge lineup of bands. Doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 6:30. This one is just $5.
See Thru, Dilute Calico98 and Don’t Tell Harry will all be performing at Ceramic Elephant Studios on Saturday night. This is a late show, it starts at 9 pm and is just $15.
In Visalia, California Thrift is hosting another round of Indie Nook Sessions. You can message the shop through Instagram or send them a text to sign up. This is a free event, so even if you’re not a singer you can head out and show them some love.
Sunday July 6th
On Sunday, Quail State is hosting a rooftop party. Dog Plasma, Atanacio, and Jason Merle will all be there serving up house beats for you. Get your tickets in advance, this one starts at 3 pm.
Neon Bloom is hosting a show over at the Great Room this Sunday. The lineup includes Tower Rats, Grangel, Calaveras, Contemporary Girlfriend, and Go In Grace. This is an all ages show and is just $10. Doors open at 6 pm.
Lastly, you can also wrap up your weekend at Strummers with a night of metal. Catch Creeping Death, Kruelty, Upon Stone, Entice and Burn Unit. Doors open at 6 pm.
Ok, that’s it. That’s what I found for the week. I hope you found something that caught your eye. And as always, get out there and support live, local music. Cheers!