On Point
Destructive Productions Profile
From the Fall 2019 Issue
October 2, 2019
“California is Running on Empty.”
The doomsday-esque billboard on State Route 99 coming into Fresno – or out of it, depending on your direction – reads eerie to outsiders of the Central Valley, where it’s ground zero for the state’s water wars. It’s an issue far removed the farther south you go where the subject of water rights is not generally part of the day-to-day conversation.
The Central Valley’s always been set off from most of the rest of the state – not part of Southern California and not part of the Bay Area. And it’s scene has also mostly lay insulated on its own, making the annual Fresno Punk Invasion, which just capped year four, a curious sort of event that speaks to the power of a tight-knit scene and good music.
It’s Labor Day Weekend, and it’s hot. It’s the kind of heat that makes everything seem like it’s running in slow motion, perspiration is unavoidable even when motionless and smoke from cigarettes can be suffocating.
Franco, the head of Destructive Productions and member of Fresno band The Velisha, presides over this three-day event that this year managed to nab Conflict and Defiance as headliners, plus handfuls of some of the buzziest local bands, many of them hailing from the Los Angeles area. Everyone seems to know him, wants to say hi to him or shake his hand and he politely obliges anyone.
“I’ve been doing this since ’05,” he said, grabbing a break on the final day of the fest, at Full Circle Brewery. “And it actually started in the streets of Fresno just like the L.A. backyard scenes. I came from L.A. and I was very inspired by L.A. So me, moving to Fresno in the early 2000s, I saw the scene and it was great and loyal. Maybe not as big as L.A. or the Bay, but it’s one of those things, if the crowd wants it.... The kids want an outlet and sometimes you’ve got to set something up.”
He started off in The Velisha and drew inspiration from the other bands that were setting up their own shows or more than happy to help out-of-town, touring bands find a spot to play in Fresno or nearby cities.
“I thought, ‘You know what?’ I can help out a little more than just playing shows and actually being part of the community and getting these bands from out of town, or they may need a connection. In a sense now, I’m a promoter, not just in a band. It comes with a yin and yang. Some promoters give it [promoting] a bad name. We do everything hospitable and we treat the bands with respect. It’s common sense, but a lot of people lose that common sense when they start seeing, ‘Oh, yeah, we got a little publicity.’ No. You take care of the band first. Respect the venues.”
When Franco was still living in L.A., he had a cousin who was into punk rock. The two went to a show and chanced upon a kid into metal who said he wasn't into punk rock anymore. The kid offered his records and gear to Franco.
“I gladly took it, listened to all that stuff and I loved it,” he said. “Never went back. Lucky day.”
Once Franco got a guitar, he played until his hands bled. And that just sealed the deal for him.
“This is a passion and it never has died for me. Sometimes I see the fire burn out on people and that’s fine. They move on, but this is what I enjoy doing. Some people like to go gamble at the casino. I like to gamble on my scene – make sure we got some good shows. If I lose a little money, I have so much faith in my scene, that I usually don’t lose.”
The move further north for Franco was driven mostly by the cost of living. It’s cheaper than Southern California.
“It’s not as economically better than other places and some people look at it as a trash town, but Fresno is right in the middle. And it’s a great city. Yeah, it has it’s ups and downs just like any other city, but it’s right down the fucking center of California. Bands that are rolling through, roll on through. And we’re going to keep them coming.”
While small, it’s a tight-knit scene and Fresno is a “good, clean dirty fun type of atmosphere,” he said.
And, interestingly, it’s in the midst of a rejuvenation and revitalization, he said, as a new generation of music fans comes mix with an existing generation of “old schoolers.”
“We all network. Most of us are all about unity and fuck all the ego shit,” he said.
Franco still puts flyers up, despite the fact that he’s got an Instagram profile to also promote his shows, saying he prefers the “hands-on touch.” That’s how he got started, putting up flyers at skate parks, venues and outside cities such as Merced and Tulare.
“Going back to the early 2000s, it was just popping. You put up a flyer – and this was before all the Instagram, Myspace. Just putting up flyers and the whole community would come out. But when the recession hit, it hit the music scene pretty hard because nobody had money to spend on bands. So, that being said, it really took an underground feel and the real motherfuckers kept it going, kept it real and we kept the bands coming through town.”
As he continued on about the impact of technology, as if on cue, someone at the fest walked up to warn him his phone’s been acting with a mind of its own.
“Did you know your phone’s broken? You’re making weird posts on Facebook right now. Last night, too,” she warned.
They laugh as Franco shrugged, “It’s from the circle pits.”
With the Fresno Punk Invasion only recently over, plans for 2020 have already begun, with The Varukers among the bands confirmed for year five. It’s about continuing to move forward and dispelling myths of what is, Franco said.
“I hope everybody that comes to these festivals has a fucking great time and opens up their mind and listens to different styles of punk rock,” he said. “Not every band sounds the same. Everyone has a different origin, a different background. Just take that home because sometimes we don’t have such a good home, got a broken home or whatever it is. But we’re all there together. That’s the sense you get from the Fresno Punk Invasion. It’s not even about Fresno. It’s about the whole scene, united coming into this town. You would never think of having a big ass, awesome festival here. And I’m very proud to carry it on.”
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