The path to greatness for an artist is lined by the tombstones of passion from those who came before.

In Fresno, the underground music scene is built for artists to cut their teeth and carve out their followings. The scene is built around intimate shows that pack bars and intrigue wanderers.

Fans congregate in backyards, dimly lit venues and abandoned industrial warehouses lusting after new fixes to their musical tastes.

These five local acts provide the next hit.

Jnx/Exvamon

Metal bands Jnx and Exvamon share a common asset in vocalist Jonah Dacanay from Mariposa. Starting a band with his brother and father, Dacanay began playing at an early age. He later met the band Exvamon at Jnx’s first-ever bar show at Full Circle Brewery.

Although this was just the introduction, it was a foot in the door for Dacanay. He was focused on music production classes and maintaining the current band, Jnx. It wasn’t until this past year that Dacanay felt confident in adding Exvamon to his portfolio.

“I’m not feeling lazy anymore, I’m always productive,” Dacanay said.

Exvamon was sitting on a trove of songs they had composed without vocals, hoping to score the missing piece to their hard work. This wasn’t the first time the Visalia-based band had reached out to Dacany about joining. However this time, the moment was right.

“They’re such good musicians,” Dacanay said.

Regardless of workload and travel, Dacanay is committed to gaining valuable tour experience with talented like-minded individuals who keep his creativity fresh. He admitted to always feeling motivated to work on the opposite material when feeling burnt out on one band or another.

Exvamon released their single “Voyage Unknown” on Jan. 31, along with a music video a few weeks later. Lugging equipment over terrain unnatural to electric guitars and full percussion drum sets, they filmed the video over the course of several days.

“I feel like that’s because of social media… people are focused more on short-form content,” Dacanay said. “You see people filming really short videos just for sections of songs… music videos really put out the image of what you want.”

Social media has now become word of mouth. No more going to the address posted on the dingy duct-taped street poster so effortlessly pasted to the crosswalk pole. Everything has moved online presenting a challenge for rising artists.

“The cool thing about social media is that everyone has access to it, but the hard thing about it is that everyone is competing because everyone is on it…there’s a lot of people in the Fresno music scene, that’s why you gotta stand out from the herd,” Dacanay said.

Kutie

The underground scene is interlinked more than we let on at first glance. Dacanay, having worked in home studios to help release songs for bands like WAR SCREAM along with a drummer from another local band Kutie, has helped foster a community of passionate musicians.

Kutie, a rock band whose musical progression goes back years on platforms like YouTube, has hammered out sets and original material that rival their counterparts in the scene. Gavin Gonzalez, the drummer and sometimes bassist for the band, began posting covers of bands like Twenty One Pilots.

“I always wanted to start a band with Ellie,” Gavin said, referring to his sister. “He bugged me for years and years to start a band…I told him for the longest time, No,” replied Ellie, the vocalist of Kutie.

Playing covers with another band is how they got their start in the industry, seeing how it works to write and promote a product. They soon started playing on their own, recruiting other members to crucial roles and finding their own unique sound.

Recording their single “The Exit” and their EP at a friend’s, while Gavin also recorded parts at his drum instructor’s house, the band released six original songs in five months.

“It’s a big collaborative effort from many different people,” Ellie said. “People don’t realize how much goes into the behind the scenes… it feels good knowing the community wants to do that for younger bands. Nothing is possible without each other.”

The Monsters of Metal release party on Jan. 31 of this year, with bands WAR SCREAM, Exvamon, Jnx and Permutations, was Kutie’s first time on the stage at Strummers Bar and Grill.

Blazed

A band no stranger to Strummers and other venues around town, this punk stampede of sound congregates a loyal turnout religiously. Starting out by playing in true punk fashion, hooking up their equipment to whatever they can find in locations not advised by the television; this was the start for Blazed.

With the earliest of songs being released in 2021, some being written in high school, the last year and a half have been spent investing in their production quality, writing and recording songs with a producer friend.

Blazed hit a bump in the road when their drummer suffered an injury from a skateboarding accident. Using a fill-in drummer, the band continued to work on material. After a few months, the drummer returned, completing physical therapy.

“We pulled together four songs that we had been sitting on for a while…our friend really stepped into the producer and engineer role and helped us curate the songs,” said the lead vocalist of Blazed, who goes by Atticus.

These four songs refer to their EP “Swallow” released on Feb. 21. This collection of songs is an ode to the greats of punk music. Using true do-it-yourself old-school style microphones and amplifiers.

“We wanted to create something that reminds us of stuff that we are into from the late ‘90s and early 2000s,” Atticus said.

Much like the other bands that riddle the scene, the theme of comradery is cemented center stage. With Blazed, the dedicated following they have built inspires not only themselves, but others as well.

“It’s great to play a show and see a new face… to see the same face and three of their friends that have pulled them into something we pulled them into,” Atticus said. “It’s amazing to watch the scene grow. Not just with us but watching other people build their fan bases.”

This intimacy in Fresno is hard to beat. Bands might not get the same assistance in some of the bigger markets in California. Passion is what sets an artist apart from the rest. For Blazed and other artists in Fresno, this fact is paramount.

“The greatest joy in my life is music,” Atticus said. “I stand on behalf of all of Blazed and say that it’s great to exult what we love and have other people love that as well.”

Dayfish

As the bars close and the restless seek another outing, the city’s late-night extends into the early morning with DJs playing sets for hours. The trance-like state that EDM and house music produce draws crowds through every heart-thumping second. One such artist is Dayfish, a local DJ and producer.

Moving to Fresno in 2022, Dayfish provides non-stop vibes at times when most people are asleep, but still packs venues to capacity; recently headlining a show at the Azteca Theater here in Fresno.

“I’ve only lived in Fresno for two years and already I feel like I have a lot of great connections,” Dayfish said. “There’s so many people that are at different levels of production so you get to learn.”

Contrary to the rock scene, the turnout for these sets lasts longer; reaching into the early morning, coming with its own set of marquee placement challenges.

“2 a.m. became the most packed hour…it would be like a thousand people in a warehouse,” Dayfish said.

Just the sheer numbers of this scene speak to the growth of Fresno as a whole. The industry is there. Dayfish is branching out into hosting shows that resemble sets like the Boiler Room that highlight intimate DJ and crowd experiences in a close setting. While incorporating film equipment to capture it raw.

“It’s been stressful but it’s cool to go from being booked to finding out what it takes to throw a show,” Dayfish said. “Playing Dog Daze in May will be a really awesome opportunity as well.”

From playing three-hour sets to planning shows, Dayfish is just one of the many talented nightlife artists that enable a community of passion and drive. Regardless of the scene, the desire to have a part of yourself heard by the masses of your peers is alive and well in Fresno.

Jnx is riding the high of their new album “Love, Hate, Apocalypse” released September of 2024 while Exvamon is seeking to add a collection of songs to accompany their single “Voyage Unknown.”

Kutie is slated to play Full Circle Brewery on March 2 here in town, showcasing their original material and gaining valuable stage experience.

Blazed, having released their EP “Swallow,” is in talks to play shows down in Los Angeles while hoping to accompany some colleagues on a run in Bakersfield.

“Hopefully we can keep the momentum going and keep pushing…and hopefully people love it as much as we love to do it,” Atticus said.

Dayfish is seizing the opportunity of his scene at every corner. Moving into producing and facilitating his own tailored experience for crowds. Excited to get the opportunity to play at the Dog Daze festival in the Save Mart Center. Late nights and long hours don’t bother Dayfish.

“I thrive off a three-hour set…you get to create a story,” Dayfish said.

For the rising artists of Fresno, the mountain of fame is not one to be climbed, but one to be blasted through. Competition and dead ends are the loud majority in the convoluted space that is the music industry. Although, the artists of the Fresno scene remain undeterred from the temptations of quitting.