20 Years Of Pining After Fresno’s “Sparkle Jet”

The Fresnan 3 Comments

sparkle-jet-1 20 Years Of Pining After Fresno's "Sparkle Jet"

I go back and forth when it comes to my favorite all-time Fresno band. Some days it’s the Light Thieves. Other days it’s Strange Vine. On days I’m feeling hardass metal it’s Farooq. Punk days it’s It’ll Grow Back. If you’d have asked me 20 [something] years ago, I would have said Neanderthals.

But the band I consistently go back to? Sparklejet.

The 20th Anniversary of Sparklejet has arrived and to celebrate, the band went back to the studio to record a new song. It’s called “UR A Dope” and they are letting you download it for free here. Check it:

If you’re like me, this may send you down the Sparklejet rabbit hole. To help guide you, here are nine Sparkle Jet songs that totally still stand out:

I love that the guys are still around and care enough to take the time to make new stuff. They always sound warm and familiar when I listen to them. Important sounding. Very Fresno, but somehow more sophisticated.

If you’re a fellow Sparklejet fan, I’d love to see your favorite songs and/or memories in the comments.

Fresno Inspired: Or Game

The Fresnan 8 Comments

img_0456 Fresno Inspired: Or Game
Shall we? Play a game? Let’s.

I call it an “Or Game” – stolen from Dorktown. A matchup of similar choices. This one is inspired by Fresno life. Or life in “Landland”. Here we go.

Downtown or Tower District?

It used to be no contest; Tower District. But now with all the things happening Downtown and the shinny newness of it all and the kinda stagnant vibe in the Tower… makes ya think Downtown. But I just may not be paying enough attention to Tower recently. Downtown is the fun choice but there is still more to do in Tower.

Winner: Tower District.

Blackstone Or Shaw?

Which one did you cruise on most? Which one used to take you to Yosemite? Yep, Blackstone. Plus it has Manchester and River Park. But Shaw does have Fashion Fair and Fig Garden Village, Fresno State and Forestiere Underground Gardens. But Shaw can take you into Clovis, if you are not paying attention, and that’s bad.

Winner: Blackstone.

Tacos or Tri-tip?

Fresno has been going nuts with tacos the past couple years and this year we seem to have solidified ourselves as the Taco Capital of the United States. Thanks in large part to Fresno Tacos and all the things. I think tri-tip can come back but it seems the magic of the Grizzlies marketing team would need to get behind it if it’s going to happen.

Winner: Tacos.

Fulton Mall or Fulton Street?

It may be time to stop looking at the construction of Fulton Street “Mall” and stop taking pictures and wait for it to be done. Fulton Street right now appears like it’s going to look cheap as fuck when it’s done. But it’s under construction still so I gotta give it a chance. And the crazyass crosswalk looks kinda cool:

But I am still, standing smugly at Inyo & Fulton with arms folded, looking down Fulton Mall Street, and waiting to be impressed.

Winner: Fulton Mall.

Tioga Sequoia or Full Circle Brewing?

This is not a fair fight. Tioga has been working at a higher level longer (and doing a good job at it) than Full Circle. And I’m excited for the future of Fresno beer with Pine & Palm in the NW, plus the soon to be coming Downtown, House Of Pendragon, Zack’s, 411 Ales and Border Hop.

Winner: Tioga.

Day Trip: Yosemite or Pismo Beach?

Dude. Yosemite is one of the wonders of Planet Earth. Nuff said. No strip of sand with small waves and cold water is going to beat that. But Pismo does have The Boardroom.

https://instagram.com/p/BUGMenFByuo/

Winner: Yosemite.

Colorado Grill or Triangle?

I confess it has been too long since I’ve sat down for a burger at Colorado so this may not be completely accurate. I have gone to both Triangle locations recently and enjoyed the burgers and such. Dammit, now I’m hungry!

Winner: Triangle.

FSU Football Games or Grizzly Games?

Oh man. Kinda tough here. The suckness of Fresno State football since Derek Carr left really hurts. The Grizzlies have a nice relaxed atmosphere, the beautiful Downtown Fresno skyline, baseball and a swimming pool. But beer is coming back to Bulldog Stadium and tailgating rules.

Winner: Fresno Grizzlies.

I could do more but let’s save them for a future post. Comment and let me know what ya think. Go FresNO!

Well We’re Not Getting Over That Pass Today, Let’s Drink!

The Fresnan

img_0299 Well We're Not Getting Over That Pass Today, Let's Drink!
I was going to write a post today about Tioga Pass still being super buried under snow. But then the Bee did one and I was like, “DAMMIT! THAT WAS ALL I HAVE!”

So I guess I will move onto writing about local beer. And not Mammoth Brewing beer because you can’t get over there to Mammoth because of the aforementioned Tioga being buried. 

I’m talking about drinking beer in a library. The Woodward Library to be exact. Thursday you can go to a fundraiser there that will have plenty of Fresno beer and food too. 

img_0300 Well We're Not Getting Over That Pass Today, Let's Drink!

I plan to actually leave the comfort of my couch and attend. Hope to see you out there. I don’t especially like going into N.E. Fresno but at least you don’t need a snow plow to get in.

Speaking of, if you have not seen it, here is how the work is progressing getting Tioga Pass clear:

Uncle Harry’s Closing Will Not Stop Me Going To Fig Garden Village. Not Yet.

The Fresnan

img_2533 Uncle Harry's Closing Will Not Stop Me Going To Fig Garden Village. Not Yet.

Maybe you heard that Uncle Harry’s Fig Garden Village location has closed. Not because the location wasn’t doing well or because Uncle Harry’s didn’t want to renew their lease. They did.

But the owners of Fig Garden, based in New York, wanted them out in favor of some national high-end paper store (wedding invites and such). Uncle Harry’s was not shy in posting about this in their window:

img_2535-768x1024 Uncle Harry's Closing Will Not Stop Me Going To Fig Garden Village. Not Yet.

This Is Not The First Time

A very similar thing happened to the Ripe Tomato (you remember that place?) when Pieology wanted their spot, their local ass was encouraged to leave by the owners.

This has got some people fired up about these big city folk chipping away at the local charm of Fig Garden Village. I’m not real happy with it either.

But I am not at a point where I will protest by not shopping or eating at Fig Garden. Not yet. Hell, Jack’s Urban Eats just got taps, bro!! How can I give up on it now?!

But there is a tipping point somewhere. A line of demarcation. A point at which they push out one too many local shops in favor of a national chain.

Will it be Wassabi’s? The Elbow Room? Hungry Bear? Patio Cafe? Yeah, maybe it would be Patio Cafe. I’m really not sure. But they are starting to piss me off and a lot of other people too.

What would the tipping point be for you? Is there one?

Joshua Tehee (of the Fresno Bee) and I have a discussion about this on this month’s Flowing With Famous podcast. Listen in here.

THE Bands You Will Regret Missing At Grizzly Fest

The Fresnan 2 Comments

img_2454 THE Bands You Will Regret Missing At Grizzly Fest
I won’t be at Grizzly Fest on Saturday. Probably. But YOU should totally go because you are way cooler than me and deserve to treat yourself to the best music festival in Fresno. Well, best since F.U.S.E. Fest went on hiatus.

Yeah, I probably won’t make it because it’s Saturday and that means I’ll be making one worthless trip to the hardware store and a second trip to get the thing forgotten on the first trip.

I’m going to miss a lot of badassness. Fresno’s own Fashawn will be there, along with plenty of other national acts. I kinda don’t give a shit about those. I like the Fresno bands.

Some of the Fresno music will include Slow Season, Amoret, White Glove Service and one of the biggest Fresno bands of all time: 40 Watt Hype. They have a new video out, btw:

There are more Fresno acts but the two I will miss out on the most are Sagey and Wee Beasties:

Make sure you go and report back to me on social media (@thefresnan on Twitter and Instagram. trenchrun22 on Snap) and tell me all the badass sets I missed.  I think I’ll be busy getting drunk while watching house paint dry.

Now please watch the most genius use of Fresno landmarks ever:

A Motto That Would Make Just As Much Sense As “In God We Trust” For Fresno City Chamber

The Fresnan 5 Comments

img_2312 A Motto That Would Make Just As Much Sense As "In God We Trust" For Fresno City ChamberSo Fresno City Councilman, Gary Bredefeld, apparently has the time to request the City Of Fresno ignore the whole “separation of church and state” thing and vote that the Fresno motto be changed to “In God We Trust.”

Jesus. [smh]

Do we all really need to be thinking about worthless stuff like this? Are things that boring around council chambers? That’s not even an appropriate motto for Fresno.

I can think of some other ones that would make just as much damn sense as “In God We Trust” for Fresno. Let’s see a few.

CITY OF FRESNO:

  • In Grapes & Almonds We Trust.
  • Live and Let Die.
  • Yes. Tri-Tip Is An Actual Cut Of Meat.
  • Tornado Free Since 1976.
  • We Have Water Meters Now.
  • Just Win, Baby.
  • This Area Is Patrolled By Turner Security.
  • Tacos Next 17 Exits.
  • The Force Is Stong In Our Family.
  • Most Of Our White People Moved To Boise.
  • You’re Right Back In The Mess.
  • Make Mine A Double.
  • Snakes. Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?
  • Cher Slept Here.
  • Home Of The Uncle You Barely See.
  • Welcome To Flavor Town.
  • You’d Think This Is Paula Abdul’s Hometown But It’s Not.
  • Traffic Signals Are Just Suggestions.
  • Pat Hill’s Fu-Manchu Controls the Northern Part of the City.
  • Same As It Ever Was.
  • Roth or Hagar? We Say Hagar.
  • I Can See The Mountains Today.
  • We’re As Confused As You Are.
  • Hey Bud, Let’s Party.
  • No Spoilers! We Missed The Walking Dead Last Night.
  • Our Mom Thinks We’re Pretty Cool.
  • We Haven’t Even Eaten Lunch Yet.

Hey we’re having fun here and I don’t mean to bash good God fearing folk. But a statement about God (as cool a dude as he is) is just not needed here in the City Council Chambers.

Your Jesus time and energy would be much better spent feeding hungry people, supporting those less fortunate, backing your fellow church member during personal tough times and helping Fresno in other ways.

So thanks but no thanks.

Check out Gary Bredefeld talking about this subject on Even Onstot’s show over at KSEE 24. I haven’t watched it yet and I doubt God has either.