iSound

The Fresno punk scene in 1984. Man, what a fun time we had! There was a lot of partying, but there was a lot of hard work, too. And no one worked harder than Vence Barela promoting punk gigs in Fresno. Vence was the main man in promoting punk gigs in the Fresno area for several years. From 1982 to 1986 he put on punk gigs in the Fresno area with integrity. Well-liked and trusted, Vence had a lot of friends, myself included. And it was a great time to be his friend in those days. He was getting into promoting right when Joceylin and I were getting out of it. A turning point for us was one of those early gigs where we not only put on the show but, we played it as well. While we were on stage playing I could see at the back of the hall some jerks laughing as they punched and kicked holes in the sheetrock wall. It was just too much. I couldn't leave the stage in the middle of a song and stop them. And there always was some sort of similar crowd management at these sometimes...