Tower District – Page 3

I Did Not Know This: Fresno Has AirBnBs.

November 29, 2016November 29, 2016 The Fresnan

I found myself asking…myself the other day “Does Fresno have Airbnbs?” Well of course they do, silly. But, you see, I’ve never stayed in one. Don’t really know what it’s about outside of the obvious: people renting out their house or a room in their house to random people for a couple nights.

Sure, tourist areas have them. SF has them because they can charge a shit-ton of money. But Fresno? Hey, why the hell not!? We are close to all the cool National Parks like the National Park Formally Named Yosemite. Plus we have viral burritos.

Some Interesting Fresno Airbnbs

This one is called a “Temptation in the Tower“: A “temptation” in the Tower, eh? Sounds like my horizons might be broadened if I stay there. And for only $37 a night? That’s a bargain.

Also, I saw there is one for $865 a night. What is that all about? Sadly it dropped off and I can’t find it now. Damn curious to know where I could stay in Fresno that would cost me $865. A night at Bubba’s house where you get to play Chief Gillespie and Mayor Autry plays, well, Bubba? Worth it.

Christmas Tree Lane’s first walk night is Saturday night. You might want to look into this one. Good place to party from.

Jordan’s Loft (pictured at the top of this post) is in the old Security Bank Building. Nice views of Fulton Mall Street construction. Might be kinda cool to stay in for a couple nights if you’re looking to try out loft living.

One local Airbnb I think I’ll pass on: the “spacious” couch in CLOVIS with the table cloth for a blanket. No matter how cheap or nice the renter is, there is no damn way I am paying to sleep on a couch in Clovis…in fact, you should pay ME to sleep on your Clovis couch!

Truth: I Probably Will Never Stay In One

Although it feels kinda safer testing the Airbnb waters in your hometown, I can’t see me doing this.

For one, I definitely don’t want to have to talk to the owner or hang out with them in the house. Having to manage some small talk or run into them while trying to find the bathroom in my Star Wars underwear. Sounds too damn weird.

But hey, maybe if I’m outta cash and out of town, I could stay in an Airbnb someday. But put a room up in my house? Hell na. Hell. NO! I don’t want one of these nightmares:

A dude walking around your living room, wearing a ponytail? Fuuuuuuck that man. Scary.

9 Cool Ass Things I [Will] Remember About Audie’s Olympic

March 15, 2016March 19, 2016 The Fresnan 8 Comments

I dunno if you heard about this but Audie will soon no longer be running Audie’s Olympic club in the Tower District. Crazy, right?

Hey, don’t ask me what happened, I’m sure Josh over at Fresno Beehive has something up about it or soon will. Rumor has it that the Audie Camp is saying the owners of the building want to do their own thing there and are pushing him out. The Owners Camp (total rumor, bro, ok?) say they would like him to stay if he met with the obligations of the lease.

Totally not my business. All I know is I have spent a lot of time in Audie’s Olympic. Not as much as of late but I think maybe I’ve gone to… 90? 100 shows there? Yeah, sounds kinda right.

So with that, here are my ~~Ten~~ 9 Cool Ass Things [I Will Remember] About Audie’s Olympic:

The Tub Of Beer: Not every place in town has a horse water trough full of ice and cheap beer cans. Even if you are not hipster enough to like PBR (I apparently am not), you had to order one, just so you don’t stand out too much.
The Chalk Event Board: I am a real nerd about chalk boards. No self respecting craft beer tap room doesn’t have one. Audie’s has one. Checking out the board during band breaks is a classic past-time for me.
The Bathroom Door Sticker Art: I can only assume the girls bathroom is the same but I KNOW the boys has always been covered in band stickers. I really haven’t checked it out close enough to see if they are ever peeled off or if there are years and years of layers.
Audie Chilling In the Corner of the Bar: If you look real close, behind the soundboard, you just might catch a glimpse. Always felt like I was looking behind the curtain at the Wizard of Oz.
The Wall Carpet! Zanny I say (and probably helps with the sound). And all the stuff above the bar. ZANNY!
Pool Table/Merch Table: Of all the years going there, including when it was Club Fred, I think I saw the pool table actually functioning as a pool table, twice. Love picking up merch there so that is ok. Always bring cash for band merch, people, it seriously helps the bands survive.
The Sidewalk Scene: In between bands, more than half the club spills out onto the sidewalk in front of Audie’s. And most aren’t smoking, just getting some air and catching up with folks. Because have you tried having a conversation inside a rock club?
The Couches: It was super rare that I would get the couch in the center of the dance floor. I would occasionally get the one under the control booth. This was always a mistake because you never got up again.
Seeing Rising Bands: Whether it was a Fresno act or a touring act just trying to get noticed. There is no greater pretentious dude joy than to be able to say “I saw that band play at a small club in Fresno before they hit big.” Really this is [was] my favorite thing. And you get to talk to the bands outside during the sidewalk sessions.

Seriously, much love and respect to Audie and what he has done for the music scene in Fresno, it can’t be said enough. Safe travels on his next adventure.

Hopefully the space continues as a rock club. It just has too. Even if the wall carpet has to go.

[photo from David Prasad]

Post Takeover – FUSE Fest 2012: It Begins

September 6, 2012September 6, 2012 The Fresnan 2 Comments

FUSE Fest 2012. It all starts tonight with a festival pre-party happening at The Hashtag on Wishon Row. See various FUSE Fest artists doing hella short sets, plus get your festival passes for Friday and Saturday along with FUSE Fest merch.

You can also get a sweet program you can use to start planning your festival routing. It's music nerd stuff and it's fun as hell. If you don't get a program you can start planning with this.

Get hyped by listening to all the pre-festival podcasting:

Flowing With FUSE Fest 2012.
Ozmosis FUSE Fest Special.
Josh Tehee talking FUSE on The Drive.
Omar Nare and Before Perils on Radio Bilingue.
Werebear on Dorktown.

It's like Christmas Eve for Fresno music nerds. Can't wait for it to start.

BANDGEEK!: Goldenboys, Big Tops, Down Words, Chop Tops and Dismembering

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012 The Fresnan 1 Comment

We have to apologize for this week’s Bandgeek. It’s thin on linking, heavy on just fliers. We are helping with next week’s big local music event and this version of Bandgeek is half-assed because of it. It’s cool, it’s still… Bandgeeeeek!!:

FRIDAY

FULTON 55: So-Cal indie dream-pop band Goldenboy. More show info here.

BANDGEEK! Bank Vaults, Doin It and Rocking The Top

August 24, 2012August 24, 2012 The Fresnan

Plenty to cover. Let's get to it. Let's Bandgeeeeek!!:

FRIDAY

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST BUILDING: The Light Thieves are hot and have new music to play for you. It's Hide and Seek's two-year anniversary. Starskate will be there too. And it's all happening in an old bank vault. Go:

KUPPAJOE'S: Experimental rock from Las Vegas with Stolas and Habit. Plus locals Mane Horse, Corsair and Weary Hands:

AUDIE'S OLYMPIC: If the Soulflower Group is doing a tribute to Def Jam we're pretty damn sure it's going to be good:

STARLINE: Well hand it to American Made Concerts for bringing the OG metal through town. It's Mandy Lion:

THE LAMP POST:

THAI PALMS:

THE NEXT BAR: Metal from Grooveyard, Spirit Descending and more:

BANDGEEK!: Fresno Covers Fresno, Gets Into A Strawberry Jam, Blows A Fuse Box and finds some Nashville Pussy

August 17, 2012August 17, 2012 The Fresnan 1 Comment

Good stuff happening this weekend. Let's do our research before we head out. Let's Bandgeeeeek!!:

FRIDAY

TOKYO GARDEN: We have only three weeks left until we geek-out on FUSE Fest #5! This show isn't part of the main festival but it is put on by the Fresno Urban Sound Experience. It's show one in a series of shows that will raise money to make an album of Fresno bands covering other Fresno musician's music. Cool stuff. Playing live tonight and helping out is That Guy Kevin, Omar Nare', Blake Jones & the Trike Shop and The Overdubs:

FULTON 55: People have been saying not to miss Strawberry Jam…just sayin'. We hear Sci-Fi Caper and Francis Ward are pretty good too. We also hear that *Surprise Guest* sucks shit:

AUDIE'S OLYMPIC: Yes, Nashville Pussy, [insert lame pussy reference here] will be rocking Audie's tonight. Local rock provided by The Backstabbers, Blue Crown and Thrawtle:

THE LAMP POST: Check out Not Perfect Humans with Whatever The Matter. [$?, 8pm, 21+]

THAI PALMS: Fresno's Rubiks Theory:

STARLINE: That Wild Bunny just won't go away, he still thinks he can rock. Maybe he can, who knows. Certainly Fuse Box can rock some AC/DC and it doesn't hurt that it's free: