Fresno Famous

I recently stumbled on this great speech/interview from Minor Threat/Fugazi/The Evens frontman Ian McKaye, which I bring up because A.) it's inspiring to hear and B.) because of the opening of the Victory Cafe, a new venue inside the Hardy's theater on Van Ness.

The tie in is that this is an all-ages venue and McKaye has worked his entire career to make sure his bands played only all-ages shows. Teenagers tend to get left out of the equation when it comes to the local music scene, even though they are the very ones that really drive it forward. Case in point, there's a strong scene of melodic metal in Fresno, but you wouldn't know unless you go to shows at CYC or Kuppajoe.

So the Victory Cafe (which is connected to the Victory Church) is a net positive for the scene. It's another outlet for kids to hear music (or just hang out, get coffee drinks, a Rock Star, etc.) and another stage for local musicians (especially good for under-age bands or those who aren't too thrilled about the bar scene).

Because the Cafe is tied to the church, it will focus on music with positive themes and no profanity. Interested musicians can find out more at the cafe's facebook page.

The venue's first show is 7 p.m. Friday, with Mercy Fist, Sea of Sound and My Morning Rescue.