Fresno Famous

(Editor's note: Look for a full story on the new Lamppost later this week.)

The Lamppost is a tiny sliver of a bar, mostly just a narrow walkway leading from front door to back. It's the type of place where 100 people show up and the fire marshalled gets called. Intimate, is maybe the would be the word. It's the second tiny bar we've played lately (the other being Johnny V's in San Jose). Both times we were treated well, paid (money and drink tickets) and basically had a great time. 

Between the Cities Are Stars: Another band for drummer Eli Reyes. Another loud band. This one specializes in the sort of '90s indie-rock that I was probably too young to really appreciate at the time (it was all punk-rock and ska for me). Lots of guitar fuzz (and bass fuzz too) and reverb. You can catch them Thursday at Audie's Olympic w/Stab City, The Backstabbers and It'll Grow Back.    

Westerns: If (the) Westerns had ended its set with a cover of "Black Betty," it would have seriously melted my mind. Instead, they brought it, full-on, with a cover of the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams," which was also pretty mind-blowing in that it showcased what the band does well: Loud, groove-filled jam rock. Think blues riffs and Zepplin-style screams. Check them out this week at their Wednesday residency at Audie's Olympic.

Our set: I'm not usually one to complain about the state of a venue's sound system. It's just not my style. But I move around a lot and like to flail with the mic some and should probably start insisting on at least 25-ft of cord (and maybe some duct taps to keep the thing plugged in). Or I could just bring my own. Aside from a couple of unplugged moments (literally), we played well.