Fresno Music Academy and Arts debuts Rock Lab bands

Plus, Visalia gets a Porchfest and Save Mart Center gets ... Weird Al?

Nov 16, 2025

Back in my day … budding musicians had few paths into the world of performance.

Like, maybe you took piano lessons; practicing on the old family upright. Maybe you did a recital or two.

Or, maybe you took up the saxophone or some such in middle school, which maybe got you into high school marching band (or the jazz ensemble, if you showed talent).

Maybe you sang church choir or got some training in musical theater if you were into the drama.

You probably weren’t starting a rock band.

That work was harder, took longer.

It was done with friends in bedrooms and garages, at backyard and orchard parties and without the benefit of any kind of formalized programs or training.

The networks and infrastructure were underground and took some finding. Only the persistent (and imaginative) made it work.

Which is to say I’m envious (jealous?) of Rock Lab, the build-a-band program Fresno Music Academy and Arts has been running for the last six months.

The school’s first crop of students (four bands worth) debuts (or debuted, depending on the time of this reading) 1 p.m. TODAY at SummerFox Brewery in the Tower.

Performers include Color Vibrations, Blue Chain, Double Edge Sword and No Clue.

The event is free, but the school will happily take donations for scholarships and equipment.

Led by FMAA instructors Harley Giles and John Koontz, the Rock Lab program lead students through the process of becoming a real, gigging band.

Obviously, that’s learning the instruments, and students are required a moderate level of experience in voice or guitar, bass, drum or keyboards. But it’s also things like picking songs, creating set lists and, more basically, just showing up for weekly rehearsals over an extended period of time.

There’s also choosing a band name, look, and logo (see: the promo flier for today’s show). The program includes band photos and T-shirts, which in itself is a sign of “making it” lot of young bands.

And then of course, there’s the gig, which in this case is at an actual venue, with an actual stage and sound system, and includes an actual sound check.

It took me years of playing in a band before I did a legit sound check.

Whether any of these band actually continue beyond this initial performance, putting a group of kids through the paces and getting them tuned into the prospect of being in a band and making music on their own terms, that’s just good community building and a net positive for the scene (even if it’s one I might be too old to enjoy).

The next session of the Rock Lab programs kicks off in January.

Check in with Fresno Music Academy and Arts for full details.

Visalia Porchfest happens Nov. 29 in the Highland Park neighborhood

Visalia is doing Porchfest.

One could arguably say “it’s about time,” given the popularity of the grass-roots event (in nearby Fresno especially), the walkability of neighborhoods in and around Visalia’s downtown core and the city’s reputation for cultivating a vibrant music scene (at least once upon a time).

While Fresno’s Tower Porchfest is a bit of a sprawling, wild-west affair, Visalia Porchfest seems to be more curated, happening at a dozen or so porches in the Highland Park and Lincoln Oval Park neighborhood. Much of the activity occurs along Goshen Avenue, according to the official map.

The event happens from noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 29, with a final band performance starting 7 p.m. at the indoor soccer/brewery 18512.

I’ll flag the 4 p.m. slot at 714 W. Goshen for a bit of self-promotion. It’s the debut of the new Werebear lineup (I’m on bass) and its first performance since 2021.

A full list of lineup fliers and info can be found visaliaporchfest on Instagram.

Weird Al gets bigger, weirder in Fresno

While we won’t have official confirmation until tomorrow, it appears that Weird Al Yankovic is coming to Fresno, likely performing at the Save Mart Center.

This is based on a series of teaser promos that popped up this weekend (here and here).

This is exciting news for anyone who grew up on Yankovic’s brand of off-kilter polka and parody schtick, which IMO has always had the underpinning of a bit of musical genius (“Dare to be Stupid,” “Melanie,” “Nature Trail to Hell” as examples).

This appear to be a continuation of Yankovic’s “The Bigger & Weirder,” which means Puddles Pity Party will be opening the show.

This will be Yanovik’s first time in Fresno in nearly a decade and his first arena-level performance in town. He played at The Big Fresno Fair in 2007 (and before that in 2000). He was at the Saroyan Theatre in 2004, the Warnors Theatre in 1999 (video footage below) and at the Cadillac Club back in 1992.

Bandgeeeek!

Ready for more?