FresYes Fest mixes craft beer, food trucks, standout local music

• Last year, 2,000 people attended the downtown festival.

• FresYes celebrates the anniversaries of Tioga-Sequoia’s downtown brewery and the Ozmosis radio show.

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There’s more than one reason you will enjoy Saturday’s FresYes Fest, the day-long downtown celebration from Tioga-Sequoia Brewery and New Rock 104.1’s Ozmosis radio show.

For foodies and craft-beer fans, it’s a place to sample six food trucks and more than a dozen special-release brews, including the re-release of Tioga-Sequoia’s Mt. Whitney XPA (extra-pale ale). It’s also a mini-music festival, with a stellar local lineup.

Here is the rundown from Ozmosis host Mike Osegueda.

Tell us about the lineup:

Answer: In the past, we’ve brought a more alt-rock flavor, the kind of local music you hear on Ozmosis and New Rock 104.1. But this year, with Catacomb Party around the corner, we figured we’d let them own that lane and do something different. As we brainstormed what bands would be good in a festival environment, we thought about trying to pick out a couple of pillars of the local music scene.

You came up with Latin hip-hop and a blues band?

40 Watt Hype and MoFo Party Band stood out as two groups that have dominated Fresno for years and done really well for themselves outside of Fresno, too. They’re two bands that any Fresnan can be proud of.

If you’re thinking of a Fresno band that is perfect to play at an outdoor festival, where people are having a good time, it’s 40 Watt Hype. They put on a great show and always have a lot of great energy. It’s really hard to not like them. Seriously, who doesn’t like 40 Watt Hype?

MoFo Party Band, like 40 Watt, has a great live show and music that appeals to a wide group of people. They’re a blues band, obviously, but even if you’re not a blues fan, you’re going to dig MoFo. They’re great performers, with a great sound.

And the rest of the lineup?

Obviously we’re excited about MoFo and 40 Watt, but you should also see Will Bollman and One Hot Minute. Will is a great folky singer/songwriter who plays all over town to beer-drinking crowds. One Hot Minute is a great local tribute band that plays ’90s covers. Basically, we imagine people singing along to their whole set while drinking all the great Tioga-Sequoia beer.

Admission to FresYes Fest 2015 is free and open to all ages, though you must be over 21 to drink.

Last year, 2,000 people attended the event.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 1:11 PM with the headline "FresYes Fest mixes craft beer, food trucks, standout local music."