{"id":454139,"date":"2026-09-05T04:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T04:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/454139\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T04:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T04:56:10","slug":"iconic-club-fred-mural-reinstalled-at-summer-fox-brewing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/454139\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic Club Fred mural reinstalled at Summer Fox Brewing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fred Martinez is waxing nostalgic inside Summer Fox Brewing\u2019s<\/a> Tower District taproom.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a place he knows well. During the 1990s, he ran it as a bar and music venue known as Club Fred \u2014 a name that still resonates in the neighborhood and city. He rattles of the names of musicians, locals and others, who played the Club Fred stage.<\/p>\n

That same stage still sits just off the front door.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s all about the history,\u201d Martinez says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want this place to retain its history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enter the \u201cmural of Freds,\u201d a 30-foot art piece that hung on the back wall of Martinez\u2019s club for more than a decade. It was re-installed inside Summer Fox this week.<\/p>\n

The mural depicts a collection of famous Freds, Freddys and Fredricks, as if they all saddled up to the same dive bar.<\/p>\n

Patrons used to argue over who could name the most Freds.<\/p>\n

\"Fred Fred Martinez, in a picture from Club Fred in 2000, sits in front of a mural of famous “Freds.\u201d The 30-foot mural was recently re-installed inside Summer Fox Brewery. ZIA NIZAMI The Fresno Bee <\/p>\n

Martinez can still get through most, if not all.<\/p>\n

Bluesman Freddie King is the mural\u2019s centerpiece. He appears on his knees, as if he crawled onto the bar top mid solo. There\u2019s also Fred Flintstone (Martinez\u2019s favorite), a leather-jacketed Freddie Mercury and Fred Gwynne, depicted here more famously as his character Herman Munster.<\/p>\n

Fred Rogers is depicted, as is Freddy Kruger, Redd Foxx\u2019s Fred Sanford (from the TV show \u201cSanford and Son\u201d) and Raiders icon Fred Biletnikoff.<\/p>\n

Some of the Freds are more obscure.<\/p>\n

Fat Freddy Freekowtski and his cat can both be found in the mural. They\u2019re pulled from The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers,<\/a> an underground comic series from the late \u201860s that was popular with Martinez and his friends.<\/p>\n

Martinez\u2019s brother Danny painted the mural in his garage, as a surprise.<\/p>\n

It hung on the back wall through Martinez\u2019s full run as owner and became and iconic part of the nightclub. It went with him when he sold Club Fred in the 2000s.<\/p>\n

In recent years, it was on display inside Tower District Records<\/a> across from Fresno High School.<\/p>\n

Martinez got the idea to return the mural after coming to Summer Fox to watch his friend Glen Delpit<\/a> perform for this year\u2019s Mardi Gras celebration. He was impressed by what the taproom is trying to bring to the neighborhood<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For him, the artwork is a reminder of the history and importance of this venue, which exists regardless of the name or any particular set of owners. \u201cIt\u2019s the place,\u201d Martinez says, \u201cthe address \u2014 1426 Van Ness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fred R Back concerts at Summer Fox<\/p>\n

In conjunction with the mural\u2019s return, Martinez has curated a four-night run of concert performances<\/a> with some of his favorite local bands and musicians.<\/p>\n

It kicks off Friday night with rock bands Dying Suns, Low Spell and Palm Sugar.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, there\u2019s a lineup of local heavy hitters including Blue Crown, Anderson Safre and The Flatlanders, John Clifton Blues Band and Roger Perry.<\/p>\n

Sunday night features the Santana tribute Heavy Weather and Raw, a tribute to War.<\/p>\n

And on Monday night Martinez plays with his band the Champs, along with Home Before Dark and the Hillbilly Jazz Band.<\/p>\n

Tickets for the shows are $10-$20.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published September 4, 2026 at 3:43 PM.<\/p>\n

Joshua Tehee<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Joshua Tehee covers breaking news for The Fresno Bee, writing on a wide range of topics from police, politics and weather, to arts and entertainment in the Central Valley.\n <\/p>\n