Story and photos by Paul Silver

I say it every year, but it’s always true. This year’s Awesomefest was the best yet. The annual pop punk blowout in San Diego is a testament to the DIY ethic, it’s the biggest family reunion, and it’s the most spectacular party of the year! Every year, a dedicated group of curators plan and organize this bash, inviting bands from all over the country and all over the world to play. Every year, a group of volunteers pitch in to help run the fest, from working registration to managing set times and change overs at the clubs. None of the curators or volunteers get paid to do this; it’s done strictly for the love of the scene and each other. Every Labor Day weekend, hundreds of punks descend on San Diego for three nights and two days of music, burritos, beer, pizza, hugs, and high fives, and leave with hangovers, new friends, and warm feelings.

This year, the price was up slightly to $50, from last year’s $45 for a weekend pass. This got you into all of the venues from Friday night’s 7:25pm kickoff to Sunday night’s 2:00am close. But this year, day passes were also available for those who couldn’t attend the entire weekend. Sixty-eight bands played their hearts out to the hundreds of attendees. Some highly anticipated bands had to cancel, unfortunately, including Baby Ghost, Shellshag, and Heartaches. But other bands stepped up to fill the void, including one huge surprise that no one saw coming. But more on that later.

Death Eyes, raging at San Diego Pre-Fest

One ongoing tradition is the pre-fest. Once again there were three of these events: the show at VLHS in Pomona, the San Diego pre-fest, and the pre-fest in Tijuana, this year dubbed “Gringo-Fest,” due to the large number of American bands playing. I stayed close to home, opting for the San Diego edition, and got my first taste of local band Death Eyes, a band playing a heavy, almost metallic brand of punk. Death Eyes also filled a spot during the regular Fest when another band had to drop. Another highlight was Capitalist Kids, a band that plays great music that’s more indie pop than pop punk. It’s great to hear some jangle mixed in with the fist pumping sing alongs. Acoustic soloist and beat poet Micah Schnabel also made quite an impression. I spent the night bouncing between Soda Bar and the Hideout, two clubs that also hosted the night shows for the main fest.

Running back and forth between venues became a habit this year, because there were so many good bands scheduled back to back. Try making a decision between the new band from Seattle, Four Lights, who play some of the best pop punk edged power pop since The Mr. T Experience, and sunny beachy garage rockers toyGuitar. Or between Red City Radio and, yes, The Arrivals! These were impossible choices, and sometimes I gave up parts of sets to catch parts of others. And other times I had to forgo a band’s set entirely to ensure I had a place in the venue for another. First world punk rock problems, I know.

The Arrivals - one of the high points of AwesomeFest 10

Speaking of the Arrivals, they had to be one of the highlights of the weekend. I’ve known Pat “Paddy” Costello for more than 25 years, but hadn’t seen his well-known bands The Arrivals or Dillinger 4, and hadn’t seen him since before these bands existed until I attended last year’s D4th of July. So it was a special treat for me and for most of the fest-goers to see this band that rarely plays anymore. The room was packed to capacity for their set, and they killed it.

Every year, too, there’s at least one band I’ve never heard of before that blows me away. This year was no exception, and I have to say that Melted, from Corona, California takes the title this year. This trio seemingly came out of nowhere (I mean, really, how can they be from so close to San Diego and never play down here?) and floored me with their heavy, yet melodic and bouncy music. Another band of note was Seattle’s Young Go Hards. Strong (I mean, really strong) vocals are a prominent feature of this quintet, with modern emo-edged pop punk music. Macho Boys, out of Portland, are a band whose demo I reviewed, and who doesn’t just try to recreate the 80s hardcore punk sound, they are the 80s hardcore punk sound.

Melted, from Corona, California, was one of the fest's surprise treats

Another band that made a deep impression was Decent Criminal. I had actually seen them once before, at Bad Cop/Bad Cop’s album release show last year. But that was a party, and I think maybe I had had a little too much to drink that night, and didn’t really remember them too much. But this year I was stone cold sober (well, mostly) when I saw them, and WOW! Powerful guitars, bass, and drums and three part harmonies playing a pop punk doo-wop style of music; it was amazing!

Decent Criminal - making an impression at AwesomeFest 10

Special mention should be made of the highly anticipated Shang-a-Lang reunion. Appearing at my very first Awesomefest, number four, they were a favorite back then. But, sadly, they broke up. After rumors of a reunion for last year’s event failed to materialize, it was gratifying the see them in this year’s lineup. And they did not disappoint.

Shang A Lang's reunion set was another high point of the Fest

Probably the bitterest of bittersweet moments ever to befall Awesomefest came on Sunday night. Dudes Night, a stalwart of Awesomefest and the Southern California scene, announced only days before that Awesomefest would be their final show. As they played a particularly strong set, the crowd filled in, pressing forwarded and singing along to songs from their album release from last year and throughout their career. Emotions ran high, as the set came to an end, and the four members exchanged hugs on stage.

Dudes Night - a bittersweet farewell performance

OK, what about that big surprise? It wasn’t planned. But it happened. Against all odds and expectations. On Friday night, when Shellshag let the curators know they couldn’t make it for their Saturday afternoon set, they scrambled to find a suitable replacement. And, well, since Detached Objects and Robot (Re)Pair were playing, that meant that Matt Dobbins and Mikey Wretch were present. And Wes Korte happened to come for the weekend, too, and suddenly, early on Saturday, it was announced that Rumspringer would be playing for the first time in nearly two years! It meant that they mostly played the older and simpler songs, forgoing the more complex songs from their “Stay Afloat” LP, but it was still amazing to hear them one more time. It was like a wish come true and it made many people very, very happy.

Rumspringer's unplanned reunion set was a happy surprise

As is the case every year, there were plenty of first-timers attending. But this year, I think there were more first timers than ever before, as there were lots of new faces. All that meant was new members of the family to meet and befriend, because that’s what Awesomefest is, a big family reunion. Other changes included the loss of long-time “partner” Luigi’s Pizzeria, who did not offer slice and draft specials this year, nor did they provide space for Saturday’s acoustic sets. Sicilian Thing still had their pizza and beer deal, and this year Lucha Libre taco shop in North Park offered 10% off for anyone with an Awesomefest wristband, while Ritual Kitchen had burger, appetizer, and beer specials all weekend, as well. Red Brontosaurus Records in North Park stepped up with a place for the Saturday late morning and early afternoon acoustic sets.

Micah Schnabel - folk/punk, anyone?

This year’s curators really outdid themselves with an outstanding event, truly the best yet. Special thanks have to go to them, Marty Ploy, Christina Zamora, Andy Godfrey, Davey Quinn, Will Castro, Ziggy Pelayo, and first-time curator Chris Mason. Thanks, too, to the venues that continue to allow us to invade their space every year, including the previously mentioned Soda Bar and Hideout, but also the daytime venues, U31 and The Office. Many thanks and kudos to all the bands, and to everyone who came out this year! The event’s success all but guarantees that there will be an Awesomefest 11 next year. Has the schedule been posted yet?

More Photos


Capitalist Kids

Macho Boys

Four Lights

toyGuitar

Young Go Hards

Dudes Night

back to jerseybeat.com l back to top