About BYP
Our Mission
Platform → Skills → Scene
Backyard Party provides young musicians with a platform. Not a talent show, not a recital, not a school performance for a grade. Real shows, real stages, real audiences. Our mission is to make sure that live music is accesible to everyone, regardless of age or income.
Every BYP event is a real-world, hands-on training ground where young people help run sound, shoot photos, design artwork, write reviews, and build and break down the stage. Through our partners and community, they also learn the business side of things: stage craft, production, publishing, royalties, contracts — because that knowledge is the advantage needed in today's competitive music landscape.
All of it is built to be accessible. Cheap tickets, no pay-to-play, no bar — because none of this works if cost or age is a barrier. We believe every young person deserves a seat at the table, and a spotlight on the stage.
Our Values
- —All Ages, AlwaysNo age restrictions for performers or fans, ever.
- —No Pay-To-PlayArtists power the movement. We pay them. Not the other way around.
- —Cheap TicketsMusic should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age or income.
- —No BarWe provide a safe all-ages environment at every show.
- —Community FirstMusicians, photographers, writers, volunteers — we all build the scene together.
- —Paying It ForwardEvery show is an investment in the future of music.
Bands have played on our stage
Fans have come to our shows
Paid out to local bands & charities
Backyard Party was born out of necessity. In January 2025, the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, CA — a community where tons of young, talented musicians live and go to school, practicing in garages, playing in backyards, and building friendships through music.
Co-Founders Matt Chait and Sandra Denver started Backyard Party to provide a platform for young musicians to be and find themselves in a time of crisis. It started in backyards, moved into a physical space, and is just getting started!
Since opening in September of 2025, BYP has hosted more than 250 acts, paid out and donated more than $10,000 to local bands and charities, and rapidly built a community of thousands of kids, teens, parents and supporters - people who believe that the culture of music has to survive and thrive, no matter what.
Staff
Matt Chait
Co-Founder
Multi-platinum musician and creative director with 20+ years in entertainment, branding, and nonprofit work in the music, fire-relief, and Alzheimer's spaces. An LA native with a lifetime of all-ages/DIY/punk experience, Matt handles the sound, stage, design, web, socials, and whatever else needs doing around BYP.
Sandra Denver
Co-Founder
Before BYP was a venue, Sandra was already building the scene — organizing the successful Alta/Pasa backyard shows across Altadena and Pasadena that eventually grew into BYP. Sandra handles all of our booking and scheduling, and is the connective tissue between the families, artists, volunteers, and neighbors in our community.
Backyard Party is powered by a community of teen volunteers, parent crew members, local photographers, artists, and writers. Want to be part of it?
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