Nate Butler. Name sound familiar? Chances are, if you’ve gone out in Fresno at all in that last quarter century, he was in the band who’s show you went to, a part of the cast of the play you watched, or playing piano at your favorite Friday night spot. He’s Fresno’s resident bohemian: he sings, he draws, he writes songs and tells stories, and every year for the past 24 years, he’s hosted his annual Christmas show, Nate Butler’s Mmm-Mmm Christmas!
The Christmas show is a favorite of Butler’s for, what some might say, are all the wrong reasons. He likes Rudolph, Santa Claus and the nostalgia of the season; “All the stuff that when you were a kid, made Christmas something to look forward to,” Butler says.
Mmm-Mmm Christmas has moved around over the years, from one Tower District venue to another, but this year it may have found it’s rightful home at Full Circle Brewing Co. Butler and Full Circle’s owner, Kenny Young, have been friends for years. In the past, Young has even acted as an unofficial stage manager/set dresser for the Christmas show, bringing in props and adding a Christmas tree to Butler’s show. One year he attended the show as “Satan Claus,” a night he and Butler remember differently, but with hearty laughter.
As for it’s name, I’ll let Butler tell you about that, because he does it so well. Check out the video below to find out how it got the name Mmm-Mmm Christmas, just what the show is all about and learn a little bit more about one of Fresno’s most interesting artists in residence.
Nate Butler’s 24th annual Mmm-Mmm Christmas starts at 8 p.m. on December 18th at Full Circle Brewing Co., 620 F Street, Fresno.
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