by Blake Jones

The 2017 Rogue Festival is almost here. KRL will be featuring several Rogue Performer Preview articles between now and the beginning of the Festival on March 3. You can find all of the Preview articles so far, & an interview with this year’s Festival director about this year’s festival, in our Arts & Entertainment section.
We will also be reviewing many of the shows, and we may even do some more video interviews. Check out our Rogue Performer event page for more information as it becomes available, and you can also check out the Rogue 2017 website.

Songs + guitars + a piece by Chopin that mixes Caribbean-style steel drums with the always odd, antique electronic instrument—the theremin. These are the elements of a musical variety show being put on by myself, Blake Jones, and my partners for this event—Jeff Bowman (ex-of The Wild Blue Yonder), Terry Barnes, and my daughter Chelsea Jones.

I believe the Rogue is an opportunity to try out new things, to stretch beyond what one does during the rest of the year. Usually I’m pursuing my music in the context of my band, Blake Jones & the Trike Shop. It’s a great group of musicians, and the possibilities are wide, but still sometimes it’s rewarding to step out and try something completely different.

For this show, I had the idea of collaboration with my daughter. She’s going to be off to school again coming this Fall pursuing a graduate degree in the Arts over at UC Santa Cruz. This may be the last chance we have to do a Rogue show together for a goodly while.

Also along the way, I’ve made a couple of new music friends, and am happy that they’ve jumped in for the fun. Terry Barnes is a powerful performer in the Americana/Folk field. I sat in with her for a performance at a backyard party, and we immediately made a promise to try and do some more music together. Jeff Bowman is a long-time player in the local music scene. He’s played vibes, steel drum, and percussion with many classic Fresno bands including The Wild Blue Yonder.

In the words of Fresno Bee music writer Joshua Tehee, “It won’t be terrible.” We’re banking on the hope that this will turn out to be a great understatement.

Blake Jones is a life-long songwriter, bandleader, and Fresno-area local music activist. He’s part of the Rogue Festival’s founding team, and has fielded a show in every single Rogue since the beginning.

Chelsea > Blake will play at Veni Vidi Vici as part of the 16th annual Rogue Performance Festival.
Show times and dates:
Friday, March 3, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 4, 4:15 p.m.
Sunday, March 5, 6:45 p.m.
Saturday, March 11, 3 p.m.

Veni Vidi Vici
1116 N. Fulton Street
Fresno’s Tower District