After fires, L.A. teens just want to feel normal. New all-ages venue is ‘a way to escape’

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Audrey Cymone, the 16-year-old singer for the band Kim Theory, gazes thoughtfully into the dim room. With strands of dark hair framing her face, she softly sings the sad, reflective lyrics of “Growing Pains,” a song about the struggles of being a teenager.

Why can’t things just be the same?

A question lingers, mixing with the growing sounds of the band during soundcheck—guitars rising and drums hitting hard. This is especially meaningful at Backyard Party, a new music venue for all ages, located in an ordinary business park between Pasadena and Altadena.

Everyone connected to the show – the band, the venue staff, and the audience – has been touched by the recent Eaton and Palisades fires. Some people lost their homes completely, while others have been forced to leave the area because their houses are still unsafe. Even those who weren’t directly impacted continue to feel the sadness and loss, almost a year after the fires occurred.

Before this rainy night in November, the band – who described their sound as being similar to Riot Grrrl – mostly played at house parties and small clubs in downtown Los Angeles. They decided to hold a show at Backyard Party to celebrate the release of their EP, “Bitch Scene.”

“This is huge!” exclaims 16-year-old guitarist Lula Seifert, looking at the growing line of people entering the venue. “This place is amazing.”

When Cymone, in a dress made from a trash bag, and Seifert start playing with drummer Zoey Su and bassist Lucy Fraser, the packed room comes alive. Teenagers rush to the front, and a lively mosh pit forms, with people bumping and moving to the music.

The back of the room was quieter, filled with parents, guardians, and adult chaperones. Linda Wang, age 45, appreciates the venue as a safe place for teenagers to enjoy live music – she’s the mother of the drummer. A father nearby enthusiastically nodded along to the music, and people who had been affected by the January wildfires shared hugs with each other.

Backyard Party hosts live music every weekend and aims to be a welcoming, family-friendly space with a strict no-drug policy. Brandon Jay, one of the owners, made an announcement between bands reminding everyone that drug use isn’t allowed and that anyone who doesn’t follow the rules will be asked to leave.

California

The Eaton fire destroyed over half of the homes on Highland Avenue in Altadena. Despite the devastation, almost all of the residents plan to rebuild and return to the street, nearly ten months after the fire.

And on Kim Theory’s night, the heaviness left behind by the fires stays at the door.

Fourteen-year-old Malena Vesbit, who assisted with ticket sales for the event, explained, “Music is incredibly powerful. It really affects how you feel, and I think it’s a great way to forget about your worries for a while.”

Music composes a second life

Backyard Party, created by Jay, Sandra Denver, and Matt Chait, takes inspiration from the legendary backyard concerts that helped launch the band Van Halen in Pasadena. This new venue aims to recapture that spirit in a 1,500-square-foot space.

Since opening its doors in September, the venue has become much more than just a place for events of all ages. They’re also helping the community recover from the fires: if you lost your records, you can get free vinyl from their collection, and if you lost an instrument, they’re giving away free guitars, amps, and even a piano.

Jay and Gwendolyn Sanford, a married couple who create music together, lost everything in the Eaton fire – their house in Altadena, their studio, and more than 150 instruments and recording devices.

“Everyone lost special things like that,” says Jay, 53. “It’s so hard to cope”

Following the fire, friends began offering him musical instruments – small kindnesses that aided his recovery. Many instruments sit unused in garages and closets throughout Los Angeles. Jay wondered if he could connect these forgotten instruments with musicians who could really use them.

Following the fire, Jay started Altadena Musicians, and in April launched the Instrumental Giving app to help connect musicians who needed support with people willing to donate. Known for his distinctive curly hair and incredible memory, Jay quickly became known as someone who could perfectly match musicians with the resources they needed.

It often begins with someone sharing a story about a loss, and surprisingly, it can lead to a meaningful connection – sometimes sparked by something as simple as a harmonica. Jay says Altadena Musicians has already helped over 850 people. Passing on cherished items, combined with genuine kindness, can truly make a difference in people’s lives.

When the fire broke out in Pacific Palisades, 39-year-old Michelle Bellamy initially grabbed her beloved Martin acoustic guitar, Gretchyn the Second, as she prepared to leave. But then, she had a feeling she’d be able to return and decided to leave it behind.

Lifestyle

Megan Weinraub was surprised to learn her vintage Volkswagen bus had made it through the January fire in Palisades, thanks to a widely shared photo from the Associated Press. Volkswagen then contacted her after seeing the image.

It broke my heart to learn the fire took everything from this songwriter, including the guitar she’d used to create her music. She was really struggling with the loss, and then Jay found the perfect person to help: an 80-year-old woman named Abby Sherr, whose home amazingly survived the fire. Abby had received a Martin guitar from her brother when she was just 16, and she’d treasured it for years. When she heard about what Jay was doing, she instantly knew that guitar belonged with this artist. It was such a beautiful and generous act, and it truly meant the world to everyone involved.

Sherr went to Bellamy’s Santa Monica real estate office in April to deliver the guitar, which she had affectionately nicknamed Gretchyn the Third.

Bellamy feels like this guitar has revitalized her music. It inspired her to write a song about the Palisades fire, which she then shared with Sherr in a video performance.

Hearing her play and sing that song made me cry,” Sherr shared. “I often drive past her old apartment and it always reminds me of her.

Just like normal. Just for one night.

Jay noticed that people at the Kim Theory concert didn’t want to discuss the fires. He said the younger audience members, in particular, just wanted to feel like things were back to normal.

Many teens show their support through action, not just talk. Money from ticket sales helps pay the bands and keeps Backyard Party and the Altadena Musicians’ venue running smoothly, as well as supporting their programs.

Kim Theory bassist Fraser, 16, believes that volunteering or helping others can improve your outlook on the world.

Vesbit understands the need for support and actively works to provide it. She was instrumental in creating the Alta Pasa Project, which assists teenagers affected by the recent fires. Unfortunately, Vesbit and her family are still unable to return to their home in Altadena due to the damage.

While working at the party entrance, Vesbit would occasionally step away to enjoy the performance. She danced and even joined the crowd surfing in the mosh pit. What she liked most, she says, was seeing all the teenagers hugging, even complete strangers.

The Morrow family attended a Backyard Party for the first time, traveling from their temporary housing in Highland Park to see Kim Theory perform. While their home in Altadena is still standing, they haven’t been able to move back in yet due to ongoing smoke and ash from the recent fire.

Fifteen-year-old Max Morrow is weary of constantly discussing the fire and not being able to return home. His thirteen-year-old sister, Stella, continues to struggle with the sadness of losing something she can still picture but can’t access.

“It’s a time capsule,” says their mom, Mel Morrow, 52, about their home.

Lifestyle

I recently heard about Sunny Mills, a set decorator who sadly lost everything in the Eaton fire. But she’s responding in such a powerful way – she’s been going around Altadena taking tintype photos of people at the sites where their homes burned down. It’s a really moving project, documenting the aftermath for the community.

Friends arrive, and she rushes over to greet them.

She insisted they would be there regardless of the circumstances. It wasn’t just about the loss of their homes, she explained, but the loss of the community they had built together.

According to Cymone, Kim Theory’s song “Growing Pains” – the final track on their EP – explores the feeling of questioning whether your current self would meet the approval of your past self.

“I feel like it’s something that a lot of teenagers can relate to,” she adds.

Things will likely remain unpredictable tomorrow, but after the show, teenagers begin to dance and celebrate in the rain in the parking lot.

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2025-12-01 14:02