by Steven Sanchez
While everybody was trick or treating for candy, my treat this past month, and heading into November, was attending shows. I didn’t even have to knock on doors in the Fall for entertainment. I was more like a kid in a candy store; I was like “I’ll go to this event or that one.” The holiday festivities are on the horizon, but the music and comedy festivities are well underway, and there’s more to look forward to as we get closer to the end of the year. Here’s a little taste of the shows I attended and what took place.
by Lorie Lewis Ham
Ramin Karimloo is an actor and singer best known for his performances on London’s West End and Broadway. He has played the leading male roles in both of the West End’s longest running musicals: the Phantom and Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, and Jean Valjean, Enjolras, and Marius in Les Misérables. Ramin made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean in the 2014 revival production of Les Misérables, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination.
by Lorie Lewis Ham
Still looking for something special to do on Halloween? Why not head over to Gazebo Gardens in Fresno! On Halloween night they will have a special performance by local band Scats on the Sly. We took a moment to chat with Brian Guerrero Buchheim, event coordinator at Gazebo Gardens, and Mallory Moad of Scats on the Sly about this event.
by Steven Sanchez
Summer has officially drawn to a close. This will go down as a memorable one for the books. As we prepare for the Fall season consisting of football, pumpkin spiced-everything, school, and autumn leaves, may we not forget the eventful summer that precedes it. The months of June and July set the bar very high, and as August closes its doors, it was a good finale of what was a spectacular summer for entertainment.
by Lorie Lewis Ham
This past weekend the latest Legends show opened at the Reedley Opera House presented by the River City Theatre Co. Legends is a series of cabaret type shows that have a different running theme in each one. This year’s theme is Hollywood!
by Lorie Lewis Ham
Multi talented performer Seth MacFarlane released his new album, Once In A While, in April of this year. It was released by Verve and Republic Records. It features the music of great composers such as Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, and Johnny Mercer.
by Lindsay White
Hey Kings River Life readers! Lindsay White here. I’m a San Diego songwriter (originally from the Central Valley), and I’m kicking off the west coast leg of my duo’s summer tour on Saturday, August 17 with a performance and songwriting workshop at Vista Theater in Fresno, CA alongside local songwriter Victor DesRoches.
by Sarah Peterson-Camacho
Debi Ruud thinks of it as a love story—a musical career encompassing nearly four decades of song, and from founding the Fresno Music Academy & Arts, community choir Hearts on Fire, and R&B soul band The Lost Souls, to releasing her second CD, All that Matters, her musical journey is only just beginning…
by Steven Sanchez
When Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, we anticipate food, drinks, American flags decorated on everything, but most importantly…fireworks. One after the other, just a symphony of exploding lights, seeing what the next one is going to look like, what color will it be, and will it be bigger than the last one? Fireworks are very similar to what live entertainment is like here in the Central Valley, who’s coming into town this time, how will this show be?
by Steven Sanchez
It’s July, which means that summer is in full swing! The triple digit heat is amongst us which leaves us scrambling for activities to participate in to keep cool. There are those that’ve been indulging in pool swimming, barbequing, summer blockbuster binging, and the list goes on. Speaking for myself, I’ve occupied my time pursuing all the top concerts in the Central Valley.
by Lorie Lewis Ham
Mamma Mia! will be hitting the stage in Clovis this July, presented by StageWorks Fresno. We sat down to chat with StageWorks Artistic Director Joel Abels to learn more about this production.
by Mallory Moad
For women “of a certain age” who are interested in a dance performance experience, it can be difficult to find a school or group that’s the right fit. Classes marketed as being “for seniors” give the impression that if you’re over 50 you’re as breakable as glass, while some performance groups have a creepy, patronizing approach that can be downright insulting: “Look at them go! And to think they’re all over 60 years of age, wow!” Yeah, right.
by Lorie Lewis Ham
This week we interviewed local Christian musician Stephen Michael Niewind, who calls himself a “musicianary” a new word whose definition is a Christian Musician who is on a Mission from God. His ministry is called Incoming Rush. We first interviewed him in 2012.
by Lorie Lewis Ham
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here so it seemed like a perfect time to interview local Irish band Celtic Alchemy. So recently I chatted with one of their founding members Paddy Myers.
