It always begins with a girl—usually nameless, always dead.
How she died doesn’t matter so much as the fact that she met a violent fate because she made a perceived mistake of some kind: her clothes were too tight, she went out alone at night, or caught a ride with the wrong stranger.
Becoming a band in the middle of a pandemic might seem like a long shot to some, but to the members of Fresno band LaVida, it’s been more of a sure shot instead. Weaving together a variety of musical styles and beats, vocalist/bassist Jared Cato, guitarist Christian Viscarra, and drummer Miguel Padilla have crafted a genre of their very own.
For as long as she can remember, Fresno musician and actress Rebecca Potts has been creating and performing her own music. And from appearing on Netflix to performing the National Anthem for the NFL, she’s not about to let the pandemic bring her down. Kings River Life recently spoke with Potts about her time on TV, the release of her first single, “Like Home,” and how the challenges of living through the pandemic have spurred her creativity to new heights.
Halloween is not cancelled. Even as the coronavirus pandemic has so totally altered life as we know it, the seriously spooky show goes on at Hobb's Grove, outside Sanger.
As the pandemic-induced shutdown closed businesses across the nation last March, the Fresno Art Museum (FAM) shuttered itself to the public for the first time in 72 years. But behind those closed doors, the museum is alive and well, preparing for a show-stopping reopening later in the fall. Kings River Life spoke with FAM’s Executive Director, Michele Ellis Pracy, to discover what’s been happening behind the scenes at the Fresno Art Museum.
Nature and photography go hand in hand for award-winning Fresno photographer and musician Larry W. Cusick, whose love of birds makes the avian species one of his favorite muses. But variety is the spice of life, and Cusick has also made a name for himself as a maker of music, playing the fiddle, Irish flute, and uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes).
When it comes to the imagination, the sky’s the limit for Gail Daley. With three science fiction and fantasy series underway, the Central Valley author feels as much at home exploring distant galaxies as she does creating memorable characters who leap off the page. Kings River Life spoke with Daley about inspiration, genre bending, and writing’s biggest rewards.
It was like being struck by lightning—the sudden and electrifying urge to pick up a pen. And that was the moment that inspired Sierra Nevada fine artist Vicki Thomas to add “author” to her career title. Kings River Life spoke with Thomas about her remarkable journey as a young adult fantasy writer, as well as the adventures that await her young protagonist Ivan Kimble.
As the days shorten and the air turns cold and crisp, thoughts turn to the holidays and all of the chaos that they conjure. ‘Tis the season of mad dashes on Black Friday, packed parking lots, a veritable flood of Christmas parties and gift exchanges, and the scramble of last-minute everything.
The Central Valley, known for its agricultural riches, is also home to a thriving art community, thanks in no small part to the Alliance of California Artists, an organization that has been dedicated to fostering education in the arts in the Valley for almost two decades.
