Went to see the El Olio Wolof/Rademacher show at Full Circle Brewing Co. last night. This is a great venue for live music, and their beers are good too. First up was Uni and her Ukelele. (That's pronounced you-knee, as in short for unicorn.) Frilly panties over green tights and various layers of other random articles of clothing served as Uni's costume. She looks like she would simply be a novelty act, but the songs are solid, her voice good, and she finds her roots in the likes of Dolly Parton. In fact she performed a medley of Parton tunes toward the end of her set. Uni'scover of Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" was particuarly good.
Next up was El Olio Wolof, a Merced band about which I'd heard many good things, so I was eager to see them. They didn't at all disappoint. EOW includes three men and two women--all seemingly so different from one another that you wonder how they all met, much less formed a band. One plays a snazzy accordion, and for a moment I fantasized about becoming an accordionist myself. Their sound is hard to pin down--at once mellow and compelling, accessible, yet weird. I picked up their ep, so I'm happy to start listening to them and perhaps playing them at KFSR.
Bodies of Water performed next. These guys had a lot of work to do to keep the crowd's interest. The audience had gone pretty much wild over EOF, so by the time these unknowns (to Fresno) started up, everyone had gone up to the bar and was in socialize mode. On top of this, one of the guitarist's strings broke during the first song, so the organist pleaded with the audience for a six-string guitar. "Is that too much to ask?" she said. These guys were perhaps the oddest of the bunch, but I really appreciated the strange vocals. They somehow reminded me of Animal Collective, a band I've begun to appreciate a lot over the past several months.
One of my favorite Fresno bands, Rademacher, was up next. But I'd seen these guys perform several times before, so John and I headed over to the Red Lantern for Meatball Madness. Here I boogied until one a.m., enjoying the 80s and 80s-inspired song sets by some of the funnest kids in Frenso. Many of them happen to be my students, which is always a little odd, but I have a good time, nonetheless. If you ever happen to be in Fresno on the first and/or third Fridays of the month, be sure you head over to the Lantern for a night of demented dance.
Poor John: I kept him up so late and he has a big day of Rogue Festival planning and preparation ahead of him, but we are going to finally celebrate Valentine's Day this evening at one of our favorite restaurants, Senses. A belated Happy V-Day to you all!
