\u201cThe fires crushed garages where kids would have been playing. It burnt backyards where they would have been playing. It burnt down the schools where they would have been playing. So this is the communal backyard party. That\u2019s specifically what we built and why we built it,\u201d Chait said just outside the makeshift venue. The only thing that sets it apart from the nondescript units around it is a handwritten sign that says \u2018No Ins and Outs.\u2019<\/p>\n
Chait, who was evacuated from his residence during the Eaton Fire, teamed up with Sandra Denver to manage the volunteer-run Backyard Party a few months ago. Her daughter sung lead vocals in a band called Sly, one of four bands on the lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to provide a space for all of the teen bands all around to come and play and help them create a kind of scene,\u201d Denver said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the type of spot Denver said she wishes she had growing up in Phoenix, Arizona.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768744515_438_.jpeg\")
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The tip box at Backyard Party <\/p>\n
And she\u2019s just one of several supportive parents here who are helping load in amps and guitars and bass drums.<\/p>\n
Sixteen-year-old Jett Bizon is the drummer for Saints of Sinners<\/a>, one of the bands on the bill. He said there\u2019s another reason there are so many parents in the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, nobody drives. Everybody needs a ride,\u201d Bizon said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n With his long dark hair, Bizon explained that he\u2019s already played some legendary local venues like The Whiskey a Go Go. But he said it feels like Backyard Party is becoming a much needed space for younger musicians in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to let out some type of energy and everybody\u2019s putting it into music,\u201d Bizon said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a great thing. Finally a scene again, it\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n As Bizon and his bandmates played their set of hard rock songs, the only people on their phones in the crowd were parents filming.<\/p>\n Some of the young folks taking the stage were affected by the Eaton Fire in one way or another. Some of them were evacuated. Others lost homes or saw their friends displaced.<\/p>\n Payton Owen was part of the crew running the door, taking tickets and dolling out snacks. She too is a musician and writes reviews of some of the concerts here.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s amazing. I think it\u2019s really like a point of community,\u201d she said from behind a glass case filled with bags of popcorn and candy. \u201cIt\u2019s a really nice opportunity for kids to really have somewhere where they can go.\u201d<\/p>\n Teenager Elise Lamond agreed. She\u2019d been following Chait around all night, learning how to set levels for the musicians, run the house lights and more.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people at this age don\u2019t have those kinds of opportunities,\u201d she said, adding that, as a musician herself, she appreciated having free access to the venue\u2019s music equipment, too.<\/p>\n Chait, who had a hand in running the now closed AAA Electra 99 venue in Anaheim and has been a musician since he was 12, said Pasadena and Altadena have a noteworthy music pedigree.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, Van Halen started in quite literal \u2018backyard parties\u2019 over on Allen. I think it lives here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n And Chait said he\u2019s blown away by the new talent that\u2019s come to this stage. For his part, he thinks it\u2019s the start of a new scene that will balloon beyond Altadena and Pasadena.<\/p>\n Matt Chait going over the sound setup with Elise Lamond at Backyard Party. <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Robert Garrova \/ LAist <\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that these kids who are now, let’s say, 15-20 all lived through COVID and were very separated from each other. And now, in this particular neighborhood, are also separated again because of the fires. And they have supportive parents and now they have the physical place to be… All of the pieces of the puzzle are here,\u201d Chait said.<\/p>\n For now, Chait said this is a labor of love. The space here is provided by Altadena Musicians<\/a>, a non-profit that\u2019s working to get instruments back in the hands of people who lost their gear in the fires. And as for ticket sales?<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the best part of running the venue: the end of the night, when we hand cash to these kids for playing,\u201d Chait said.<\/p>\n Tonight\u2019s bounty from a full-house? $320.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a couple of these kids, if they play one or two more times, we\u2019re going to have to give them 1099s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n How to catch a BYP show<\/p>\n Backyard Party For a calendar of upcoming shows, check out BYP\u2019s website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n ![\"Venue](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768744516_661_.jpeg\")
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1260 Lincoln Ave. #1300
Pasadena<\/p>\n