by Terrance McArthur

Here is our last Rogue Show review of 2022! Be sure to head out to weekend two of this year’s Festival! You will be able to find all of our Rogue Festival Reviews in our Rogue Festival Section here on KRL!
Due to the recent redesign over here on KRL all of our preview articles and our Rogue Festival event page have been posted over on KRL News and Reviews! You can find all of those articles, including some performer preview articles, by clicking here! You can find our Rogue Festival event page here. For more information be sure to check out the Rogue Festival website. Be sure to check out their website for their current Covid safety policies.

Return of the Son of One Hit Wonders
Review by Terrance McArthur

One Hit Wonders—Bands that had one song that you heard every time you turned on the radio…and then you never heard from them again. The Excursions assembled almost forty of them for their Return of the Son of One Hit Wonders Rogue show. They can’t play all of them in an hour, but they pick and choose a collection of about twenty of them for each show, and each performance has a different mix.

Do you remember “(If You’re Going to) San Francisco (1967),” sung by Scott McKenzie and written by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas? That’s a one hit wonder.

How about “Eve of Destruction (1970),” sung by Barry McGuire, who was a lead singer for The New Christy Minstrels and went into contemporary Christian music? A one hit wonder, although he did well on the Christian charts.

It’s like a K-Tel album, full of “Oh yeah, I remember that” moments and some “I don’t remember that,” too. It’s a big band rock ensemble—Willie Barrera, Mike Brown, Lizabeth Laury, Woody Moise, Jeff Single, Mark Wise, and Pete Favela, and special guest Mindy Sullivan. A tight crew, and they sail through the music with love and appreciation. Some numbers merit special background info, and the printed program (you can’t tell the numbers without a scorecard) includes a crossword puzzle and a title scramble. How nice!

Return of the Son of One Hit Wonders has its last show Saturday, March 12, at 8 p.m., on the Veni Vidi Vici patio, 1116 N. Fulton St., Fresno. Come on, you might get to hear Frankie Ford’s 1959 hit “Sea Cruise.” If they play it.

Check out our Rogue Festival section for more reviews! Tickets for all shows can be purchased on the Rogue website and at the door, but be aware they do not accept cash.

If you love local theatre, be sure to check out Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and also on podbean.

Check out more theatre reviews & other local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section.

Terrance V. Mc Arthur worked for the Fresno County Public Library for three decades. He is retired, but not retiring. A storyteller, puppeteer, writer, actor, magician, basketmaker, and all-around interesting person, his goal is to make life more unusual for everyone he meets.