If you are, too bad. You're not getting in.

At the Rogue Festival, which begins today, the performers come first.

"It might sound rude," says co-organizer Joel Dyer. "But in a sense, it's our way of trying to help educate the public, because it shows respect for the artists."

And don't be that person who stumbles in, talking on a cell phone.

"Anybody with a cell phone will be shot," Dyer says.

Of course, he's joking, but organizers take this second-year festival seriously. They want the artists to be comfortable. They want the artists to do their best. They want the artists to be appreciated.

That's how this whole thing started, anyway.

A year ago, Marcel Nunis of the Sanctuary Stage Theater put together a core of people to plan a festival in which local artists -- both theatrical and musical -- could showcase their work.

This year, things have grown. The festival has moved from the Sanctuary Stage Theater to the Starline and Veni Vidi Vici. There are 59 performances from 24 different acts, 30% more than last year.

"[Last year's] numbers surprised us," Nunis says. "It told us there was a hunger in this town."

Performances are spread out among five days: today, Saturday, Sunday, March 7 and March 8.

Tickets for shows at the Starline, dubbed the mainstage, are no higher than $5, and tickets for Veni Vidi Vici, called the cafe, are no more than $3. Artists get all the money collected at the door.

Action on the mainstage begins at 7 p.m. today, with a different performance every hour and a half. At the cafe, performances start at 7:30 p.m., with a new one every hour. It picks up again at 1 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

"It's unconventional," says Mallory Moad, a performance artist who directs "Beyond the Moon: The Music of Lucia Pamela" this year. "There is nothing else going on in town that compares to this. We've got dinner theater, we've got movies, we've got the (Fresno) Philharmonic, but we don't have anything that is experimental or cutting-edge. That is what the work in the Rogue Festival represents to me."

Some of the performances, such as local band concerts, are things that can be seen on most weekends in Fresno. Most, however, are acts that were organized specifically for the event, like Moad's tribute to Pamela, which features a score of local musicians.

Organizers have put together what they call "Rogue maps" to give festivalgoers a schedule of events and filmlike ratings for each performance. They can be found at either venue.

"I think the exciting thing is the banding together of all these creative folks in Fresno," says musician Blake Jones, who will perform on the cafe stage at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday. "There are a lot of talented people fighting to get their art seen or their music heard. It's just tough to get people's attention, and I think the banding together makes it have more 'oomph.' "

Back-to-back bluegrass

The Hanford Fox Theatre has back-to-back bluegrass shows planned for the weekend.

It starts tonight with Chris Thile, part of young country group Nickel Creek. Mike Marshall, known for work with the mandolin and other innovations in bluegrass, joins Thile. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20.

On Saturday, the Dave Grisman Quintet, of which Marshall was once a part, highlights the evening's events. Grisman has his roots in bluegrass and jazz. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $27.50-$32.50.

Deja Vu

all over again

One of Fresno's historical nightspots again is occupied.

The club at 708 N. Blackstone Ave., which housed The Express for 22 years, now is Deja Vu.

Like the former Express, Deja Vu is a nightclub intended for gay people and their friends. The club is under new ownership and management.

Its doors are open seven nights per week, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Among the music featured is traditional dance music, house, R&B, Top 40 and Latin.

Throughout the month of March, the club has a variety of grand-opening activities planned for each Saturday night.

For more information on Deja Vu, call 445-0878.

Et cetera

The sixth annual Tower District Mardi Gras Parade has a long list of live bands performing Sunday afternoon -- Mofo Party Band, Straight Up Sinners, Blues West, Deja Blues, members of Let's Go Bowling, Viper City Brass and Sippy and Old Guzzler. The parade starts at 1 p.m. along Olive Street and is free.

Local progressive rock band Basecurve has a free in-store performance at 3 p.m. Saturday at Tower Records in Fresno.

Chart-toppers Conjunto Primavera will perform at 7 p.m. today at the Rainbow Ballroom. Their single, "Perdoname Mi Amor," spent eight weeks on top of Billboard's Regional Mexican chart. Tickets cost $30 in advance or $40 at the door.

Classic rocker Edgar Winter, known for such songs as "Frankenstein" and "They Only Come Out At Night," performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Tower Theatre. Tickets are $25.

In the week ahead

Mardi Gras activities pick up again for Fat Tuesday in the Tower. Restaurants in the Tower District have live entertainment scheduled. Venues include Avalon Billiards, Butterfield Brewing Co., Starline, Veni Vidi Vici and Club Fred.

Genres from classic rock to blues to funk are scheduled. Most of Tuesday's acts start about 8 p.m.

The reporter can be reached at mosegueda@fresnobee.com or 441-6479.