A Drunken Stumble Through My First Awesome Fest

By Michelle Lopez

Labor Day is upon us again and although I would’ve loved to have spent the long weekend suffering through a sunburnt and sand all over my body while at an overly crowded beach, I decided to spend it sunburnt and damn near shitfaced in sunny and beautiful North Park San Diego. This isn’t my first time down in San Diego. I mean, it’s only a quick two hour drive down the 5 freeway, on a good day. But it is my first time I’m able to go to Awesome Fest, and it’s all I’ve been looking forward to since I turned 21 a few months ago (I know, I’m a baby).

If you haven’t been to, or maybe even heard of Awesome Fest, let me tell you now, you should change that. It’s exactly what it sounds like, and then some. The festival is a three day long family reunion as most goers like to describe it. Three days filled with burritos, beers, bands, and the friends that you’ve been waiting all year to see and hug again.

Awesome Fest is also everything you can imagine when you think of what DIY is. It’s curated by a small group of people who have been a part of the Southern California punk scene for years. Not only do these organizers set up and run the shows at the four venues involved throughout the weekend, but they also personally sought out and asked each band who played to be a part of the shindig. This means that there’s no big sponsors, no deals with managers or booking agents, no overpriced presale or day-of tickets. It’s just a bunch of bands, brews, food, and friends—and it’s awesome.

So, where was I? Oh right…

After a bit of hotel hangs to get over the two hour drive through weekend traffic, my boyfriend and I decided to get going and start the weekend shenanigans. Like I said before, it’s my first time at Awesome Fest, so I don’t really know what to expect. Luckily I didn’t have a chance to expect much because as soon as I got to registration at the Soda Bar, I was welcomed with smiles and warm embraces from familiar faces and new friends. Already, I’m off to a good start. But before getting the music stuff started, we got some slices at Pizzeria Luigi’s down the road. It was difficult to choose from all the different toppings and slices but the Margharita with basil and garlic and the Leonardo with pesto and green olives were a winning combination.

Caskitt

Caskitt

The first band I caught on Friday night were Caskitt, a local pop punk three piece who recently put out a full length early this past spring titled, ‘This Machine Kills Sadness.’ Even though Caskitt didn’t travel far for this show, their crowd was packed with the usual friends and a lot more out of towners than I expected. And as I saw almost everyone around me raise their drinks and fists to the band’s third song of their set, belting out, “I wanna scream, I wanna shout, I wanna get drunk and loud,” I knew the rest of the weekend was going to be nothing less than just that and I could not stop smiling like a goof about it.

2_DetachedObjects_DSC_5677A

There was so much energy buzzing around after Caskitt’s set and I was way excited to keep the night rolling. Next up on my schedule was the band Detached Objects coming in from Phoenix, AZ. The band includes members from fellow Arizona groups Rumspringer, Soft Shoulder, Avon Ladies, and Gay Kiss. They’ve got some real fast and rugged guitar parts and a killer, heavy drum beat, along with real tight spooky feel in the sound and lyrics that made me instantly fall in love with this group as soon as a friend played their record for me. I really hope they play more shows here in California and even if not, I’m strongly considering taking a road trip to across the state line if it means I get to see them shred again.

Secondaries

Secondaries

Before Detached Objects finished their set, I had to make my way out and quickly get to the other night show venue down the street, The Hideout, where San Gabriel Valley homies and favorites of mine, Secondaries were playing. I’ve seen this band play numerous times and each time they blow me away. There’s so much power behind the drums and bass lines, it’s almost mesmerizing to me. I’ve even heard before that this band sounds like they’ve been playing together for years but in reality they’ve only been playing together for maybe a year, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. Guitarist Gabe Gomez dropped a comforting message in the middle of the set when he drunkenly exclaimed, “everyone is amazing and everyone is present.” With so many friends singing and shouting along through the whole set, I could already tell that Secondaries were a highlight of the weekend.

After getting some fresh and cool San Diego air and catching up with some friends who were making their way into the city, I made my way back to the Soda Bar to get a good spot for another one of my favorites, Upset. With members from various music acts like Best Coast, Hole, and Benny the Jet Rodriguez, these ladies vibe together so well it makes me want to pick up a bass guitar and play with some of my best girlfriends although I’ve never played music in my life. Even though Upset had the smallest crowd I’d seen that night, it didn’t stop me from singing and dancing along to every song they played. They even ended their set with a couple of covers; “JAR” by Green Day and “Do You Still Hate Me?” by Jawbreaker, which is also included on their latest album release ‘’76.’ It was a perfect combination to end my first night of the weekend.

SATURDAY

To keep the festivities and good times rolling, my second day of AF started with some appropriate day drinking and pool hangs with some friends staying at neighboring hotels. After we ran out of beer and worked up the energy to get ready, we made it back to North Park for some of the day shows at The Office, where Robot (Re)pair was next on my list. They are another 3-piece coming from Arizona which also includes Detached Objects’s guitarist Matt Dobbins, although he played a lot faster and yelled more this time around.

Stymie

Stymie

Underground Railroad to Candyland

Underground Railroad to Candyland

I was looking forward to the band Stymie who were playing right after Robot (Re)pair, but because of some guitar troubles and waiting for a replacement, they were only able to play two songs before their time slot ended. I wish I could have heard more, those two songs totally get me in a head bobbing and dancing groove. Luckily I didn’t lose it because Underground Railroad to Candyland played after and as always, it was a party and it ruled. There was no second drummer this time which is one of my favorite aspects of every URTC show. But there were a couple of maracas and a tambourine in the crowd so the party raged on.

The Bananas

The Bananas

Straight onto the last of the day shows and one of the most anticipated headliners of the weekend, The Bananas. I know I may be a bit young to know about the legends that are The Bananas, but I have spent a majority of the last year listening to the ‘Nautical Rock N Roll’ cassette on repeat ever since a friend gave me a copy while talking about how, “The Bananas are soooo good.” He was right. They are fucking good. The banter in between songs is a little strange, but because of the back and forth quick, witty comments between the members, it was entertaining and well worth the anticipation. I don’t know when their last show before AF was, and I don’t know when their next will be, but at least I get to say that I’ve seen The Bananas once.

And here’s where things get a bit boring. When the day shows were over I headed back to the hotel to take a leftover burrito break along with more drinking, but was also tempted by a very special and potent cookie I left in the mini-fridge. Said cookie induced a nap, well-timed between the day drinking and pre-gamming for the night drinking. Said nap lasted longer than I intended, a whole twelve hours longer than I intended, which meant that I had missed the entirety of the night shows on Saturday. I promise, it wasn’t what I had planned. I wanted to see so many of the night bands, including Rational Anthem, Winter Break, Shotwell, and Turkish Techno. If you ever get a chance to see any of these bands, please don’t make the mistake that I made and sleep through them. Also don’t do so many drugs.

SUNDAY

Okay, skip to some Sunday stuff (day drinking and brunch, at the least). This time we ventured out to Ocean Beach for some tasty grub and grog at Pizza Port. They had mimosa by the buckets. BUCKETS! By the time I felt my skin burning from sitting out on the patio for so long, we figured it was time to get back to The Office for our first band of the day, Hillary Chillton. Another one of my favorites from the weekend, and another homie band that has a special place in my heart. They’ve got so many super dancey and catchy songs that I never get tired of hearing. The five members each play in multiple band but when they get together for this, it’s so comforting seeing how well they work and flow together, especially when you see guitarists and bassists Tanner Duffy and Travis Wheeler switch instruments a couple of times throughout their sets.

After the HillChill set, I made my way to the back of the venue to work their merch booth while the band was moving their stuff off the stage. From the booth I was able to see a growing crowd getting down to Gentlemen Prefer Blood and Massenger, two bands both coming down from other areas of Southern California. GPB have a lot of energy that you can clearly feel coming from drummer Mike Spaid, who is a goddamn powerhouse with those sticks. And Massenger’s lead vocalist Sasha has the voice of an angry angel which got my hooked immediately. Between those two slots I was able to run down the street to the other day show venue, U 31, where I was able to catch some of Tijuana’s DMFK. They put on such a loud and in-your-face show that I leave their set wanting to kick someone in the face every time, which is nothing to complain about. To finish off the day shows I headed back to The Office to see another anticipated headliner of the weekend, Toy Guitar. This 4-piece garage rock/punk rock group coming down from San Francisco were one of the most fun sets of the weekend. The crowd was dancing non-stop and the amount of friends and smiles I saw all around warmed my heart. They were a perfect cliffhanger to leave off on while taking a break before the last of the night shows.

I headed back in to North Park a little later in the evening after another nap and more drinking, and made it to the Soda Bar just in time to see a personal favorite, Horror Squad. If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to see Horror Squad, you already know they are goddamn great both as people and a band. There’s always friends and familiar faces yelling and dancing along with fists in the air. And the fact that they closed with an “Under Pressure” cover and brought up Aaron Mykal on mic got everyone in the crowd dancing and singing and was a wonderful homage to our home back up in Pomona. They VLHS family continued the party with fellow favorites and friends, Dudes Night playing right after. You can tell that Dudes Night is ready to show everyone how great they’ve gotten recently. They’ve been adding more new songs to their sets while still keeping the older crowd favorites that everyone loves. I honestly cannot wait any longer for their new record to come out, which should be ready and available by FEST time.

Once again, the rest of the night became fuzzy. After a few tall boys that I think I “found” somewhere by the stage and a couple of mixed drinks I don’t remember even buying, it was much appreciated that my boyfriend decided to stop me from stumbling and trust falling all over people. Unfortunately, that meant that my night was over and I headed back to the hotel to sleep the rest of the fest away.

So yes, I know, I SUCK. Looking back on the weekend, I can admit that I definitely did not take advantage of all the bands I could have seen. I took too much advantage of the break between the day shows and night shows, and slept when I could have been drinking or watching bands with more friends. I also did not apply as much sunscreen as I should have. San Diego does have cooler temperatures than home just a couple of hours north, but it’s still sunny and bright as hell. But hey, it was my first Awesome Fest. I didn’t really go in with expectations or a plan at all really. I just wanted to go with the flow and enjoy whatever I was able to get to. Every band I did catch were incredible, and the ones I saw or heard for the first time have been playing on repeat since I got back. I don’t think the weekend was a failure at all. It was anything but that. It was me who failed at making the most of it. But I still had a hell of a fantastic time and wouldn’t have traded my vacation in North Park San Diego for anything else. The beer, bands, and buds made the hangover at the end of the weekend well worth it. Now I know what to expect and can prepare for next year, Awesome Fest 10, where there will be more booze, more fiends, more music, and hopefully less sleep, but I can’t make an