Show Preview: Awesome Fest 666 – at The Soda Bar – San Diego, CA – August 31 – September 3, 2012

Interview by: Kendra Sheetz
Big Wheel Contributor


On Friday August 31st, 400 people and somewhere around 70 bands will descend on North Park, a small bar filled neighborhood in San Diego, for the Awesome Fest.  The festival, which is in its 6th year, features bands ranging from smaller local favorites to more well known heavy hitters, from SoCal natives to international acts.  
 

The four day gathering is put on by Razorcake, It’s Alive Records, The Party’s Over Productions, Muy Authentico Records, The Slumber Party’s Over Productions, and Fast Crowd Records.  I sat down with Marty Ploy (of The Party’s Over Productions) and Christina Zamora (of the Slumber Party’s Over Productions) to chat about the festival’s humble beginnings, this year’s lineup, and what I will be getting myself into next weekend

How long have you been promoting and what got you into this line of work?

M: I’ve been doing shows for a little over thirteen years off and on.  I started booking when living in Tupelo, MS where I did a small handful of shows with bands like Pezz (Memphis, TN) and the Grumpies (Starkville, MS).  When I moved to Riverside, CA I was hangin’ at a bar called Babylon a lot and knew a few bands and was really cool with everyone that worked there.  So, the opportunity happened when I was allowed to book a couple bands for a Brit pop/80s night called Disposable Pop.  Well, I booked a thrash band from Riverside called Rogue State and a grind/black metal band called Nihilium, or something like that.  Obviously it was not the right time or place for it, but it went well enough that I was asked if I would like to book Sunday matinee shows.  It was hard to draw but, I pulled it together and did some stuff.  Then they let me work myself into a weeknight and I started getting into it; around this time was when Myspace was starting, so it was much more accessible to hear bands and search for bands in the area to book.  This was about ten years ago. 

C: I’ve been booking shows for about seven years, I think.  I got into doing shows ‘cause Marty was moving to Austin, TX and he still had a handful of shows out here in Moreno Valley/Riverside that needed taking care of.  The Slumber Party’s Over Productions was born.  Originally The Slumber Party’s Over involved me and the lovely Jenny 15 (Jenny Kensler).  We ran the show Marty had booked at this place called Cheers in Moreno Valley.  Then I just started booking up a storm and Jenny and I would run them together.  Then Jenny started tour managing and hitting the road a lot so it ended up just being me.  I ran a record store called Glass House Records in Pomona.  It was owned by the Glass House concert hall, so I started booking all ages DIY shows there… fun times!  And well, it all sky rocketed from there. 

 

How did Awesome Fest come about?  Was it a always a collaborative effort?

M: The first Awesome Fest was an accident of sorts.  I was booking for a bar in Riverside back in 2007 and I got hit up by Jwang from Dan Padilla/Fast Crowd Records about a new band that featured members of the Copyrights and at the time Off With Their Heads, named Dear Landlord.  They hadn’t released anything yet, but there was some hype behind this band for sure.  I started getting hit up by all sorts of the bands people love in SoCal like Todd C (Underground Railroad to Candyland) and a lot of others.  When I started on the flyer for the show, I came across a photo of my friend Matty Awesome that I really liked and wanted to use it as the flyer picture.  As time went by, it started getting to be a pretty big lineup and I got this idea to put “Matty” all small then “AWESOME” really big with “FEST” after it.  That’s how Awesome Fest got the name. 

C: Well, its exactly what Marty said… it started with him, Matty Awesome, and Riverside.  It was all Marty for the first year and then Razorcake helped out for the second year.  J and Corinne took it under their wing for AF3 and moved it to North Park in San Diego.  They did an amazing job.  Then when it came to AF4, they were pretty exhausted with taking care of AF3, so the ball landed in our hands.  I got involved when it was AF4 and have been a part of it ever since.

 

Awesome Fest is in it’s 6th year.  With tickets selling out over a month ago, what changes, if any, have you noticed that has lead to the festival’s growing popularity?

M: I don’t see much change-wise about Awesome Fest except its more known about now. And every person I’ve met that has come to Awesome Fest, swears it is their single favorite fest they have been to or a part of, which is a hefty opinion with all the fests there are all over the world.  It makes me very grateful and honored to be a part of something that is looked forward to by so many people from all over the world.  I couldn’t imagine or even want to work with anyone else than the amazing people that help put this on.

C: I don’t think there’s any change with it selling out as fast as it had.  This was the fastest year ever though.  We still follow the same criteria and format from years before.  Its non-profit and we do it for the love of the scene and music.  More folks definitely know about the AF and that’s rad!  Every year we just try and outdo the previous lineup and try to make it just a little bit better.

What makes Awesome Fest stand out from the other summer festivals such as FYF?

M: Well, we are nothing like any other festival I’ve ever heard of.  We are a not-for-profit fest and we will never use corporate sponsors of any kind to raise money/make money.  We don’t over sell the thing.  We only sell 400 passes; that way we assure there will be VERY little or no lines to get into the shows and its pretty easy to get a drink and very close together venues so no long hauls.  We also make it so if you’re feeling up to the challenge, you can catch every single band of the fest if you feel like running back and forth from the venues.  I don’t know.  It’s the best thing I’ve ever been a part of and I’m so proud of everyone involved. 

C: Well AF stands out because its so posi and “awesome”.  I mean you can ask most folks who have attended previous years and they will say that it is one of the friendliest, most welcoming fests they’ve ever been to.  High fives all around; high five-ing strangers in the streets.  Its just something that you cant quite understand until you’ve gone.  We don’t use corporate sponsors and never will.  We all strongly believe in that.  Its for the love of music and the scene.

 

What are the top 3 bands you are most excited to see this year and why?

M: This year I am very excited to see Sass Dragons (Chicago).  This band has been one of my favorites for many years and the fact they were down to play got me hyped as hell!  I booked them at 12th & G (RIP warehouse Chino) when I was living in San Diego a couple years back and missed them due to work.  I was broken when I heard they broke up and I never got to see them; so yea, that’s for sure the most I’m looking forward to.  Another band I’m very excited to see is Divers from Portland, OR.  I’ve been obsessed with their first release on Rumbletown Records, a 7” that just blows 90% of all music out of the water.  The singer for the band is my friend Harrison who I have been doing shows with over the years through his old band Drunken Boat pdx.  They will impress you! The last of the three bands I’m super excited about are of course The Bananas, because The Bananas are the single greatest live band I’ve ever seen, not to watch but the energy in the room when they played AF5 was unimaginable and indescribable.  If you were there you know EXACTLY what I mean.  If you weren’t then DO NOT MISS their set this year.  I don’t know who is playing at the same time, but there is not a single band on this bill that will put on even half as good of a show as this band.  Quote me on that!

C: I think the bands I’m most excited to see are Masked Intruder, Siren Songs, and Shell Shag!  FUCK YES!  I’m stoked for these bands.

This is going to be my first year at Awesome Fest.  What am I getting into?  Any words of advice for this first timer?

M: Pace yourself!  Travel light!  Drink LOTS of water!  Eat at Luigi’s Pizza!  Give Marty hugs!

C: It’s your first time?! Gurrrl, all I can say is pace yourself and drink LOTS of water!  It gets crazy and out of control.  It’s a level of awesome, good times you’ve never experienced!  Having friends from all over the country, shit… even the world (‘cause its gone international the last few years) in town for three days and then all the new friends you’re gonna make!  Its just amazing and a bit overwhelming.

What is your fondest Awesome Fest story or memory?

M: I really don’t have an answer for that.  This festival is constantly giving me the fondest memories.  I love seeing all the friends I’ve made over the years.  I love making new friends.  I love the gratefulness of people that travel from all over the world and spend thousands of dollars to make sure their trip to the US is a really good time.  The people that come up to me on the last day and commend what we have done and tell you how they’ve never had such a good time is what means the most to me.  That’s what this scene is about - community and family and supporting one another and praising the accomplishments of one another.  I CANT WAIT!!!

C: Fondest memory?  Dang, I’m not even sure… there’s too many to list.  I should write a fucking book of all the good/crazy times for all six AFs.  Just get stoked ‘cause we ain’t going anywhere.  This fest is as rad as it gets.  And the fact that I get to work on this with some of my favorite people ever, well that’s just awesome for me..

 

At this time, festival tickets are sold out.  However, there are pre and post fest shows (in both San Diego and LA) with availability. You can get in touch with either booker through Facebook.  Marty can be contacted at “The Party’s Over Productions”.  Christina can be reached at “The Slumber Party’s Over Productions”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.awesomefest666.com

 

 

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The Phenomenauts – Prima Donna – and Tanked – at B Ryders – Bakersfield, CA – August 24, 2012

 The Phenomenauts and LA based Glam-Punk band Prima Donna made their way to B Ryder's Friday evening supported by Bakersfield locals Tanked for a great night of musical entertainment.

Tanked is comprised of members of 90's Punk act Active Ingredients. After a long hiatus the guys came back together to for their current band "Tanked". They played a fun set with new material as well as Punk covers from bands like FEAR and Guttermouth. The crowd was barely trickling at that point, but none the less the guys rocked out and warmed up the stage for Prima Donna.

 

Prima Donna was up next. While they known all around the world, Bakersfield did't seem to be "in the know". As they were setting up, you could hear SoCal T-shirt, Flat-brimmed hat wearing, lifted truck driving douchebag meatheads saying things like "A saxophone?" and "They look pretty glammed up." I knew this would be a tough crowd for a band like Prima Donna. However as soon as they started their set they proved themselves as talented group of musicians with a refreshingly eclectic sound. They are categorized as Glam-Punk, but I saw them more as PowerPop Punk with a tinge of Glam. They won the crowd over with songs like "Ferrel Children" and "Soul Stripper".

Closing out the night was Sci-Fi Rockers The Phenomenauts. From start to finish, these guys had the crowd eating out of their hands with their elaborate costumes, props, and DEVO-esk stage performance. There wasn't a dull moment through the entire set. At one point they had the whole crowd crouched to the ground as they built up the momentum to the break down in the song. 

Towards the end of the set they brought out the toilette paper gun. It added an extra element of fun. If you haven't seen The Phenomenauts play, then this should be a show to add to your bucket list. 

Not only is the musicianship amazing (spanning thru several different genres all wrapped into one) but they are true performers. If you pay for a ticket to see them, they make sure everyone in attendance leaves with their money's worth, and most likely toilet paper stuck to their shoe. What a great show!

 

  More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-J.Moncrief-
Big Wheel Journalist

 

 

 

 

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Show Preview: Street Dogs – Downtown Struts – and Koffin Kats – at The Highline Ballroom – New York City, NY – September 15, 2012

Fall brings many things, changing leaves, cooling temps, and the end of the summer festival season, which could be a bad thing except it means the return of bands like The Downtown Struts and Street Dogs from their summer European tours.  To make this even better, these two bands will be teaming up and taking on New York City at the Highline Ballroom September 15.

 

There's not much that can be said about the hard-working Street Dogs that hasn't been said already, and any readers of this magazine know how much we love them, but the addition of The Downtown Struts puts this lineup over the top, and definitely makes this a show not to be missed.

The Downtown Struts are a new band hailing from Chicago, and though their debut full length has only just been released on Pirates Press, they've already toured with The Business, and taken Europe by storm, playing both Rebellion and all the major clubs, and have even released a 3-D music video for their new album. What have you done at work today? On stage they don't disappoint, unleashing their high energy and excellent lyrics on unsuspecting crowds and creating new fans at every turn. 

The Koffin Kats round out the lineup for this early show, which starts at 6:15, so you'll have plenty of time to soak in all the vices New York City has to offer. If you miss this one, you'll probably never forgive yourself.

 

 

-Jo Problems-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist

 

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8th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute – at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Los Angeles, CA

Most people spend Sunday at church or in the backyard barbecuing up burgers with family before resting the night away. And then there are people like you and I who opted to spend a Sunday at Hollywood Forever Cemetery for the 8th annual Johnny Ramone fest! Yes, you read that correctly, and in case you were not in the know and missed out on Sundays fun, then know you missed out on one hell of a celebration that wont happen again until this time next year. Luckily for you unfortunate souls Big Wheel was there and captured all that went down under the stars that night.

Much like previous celebrations, the 2012 Johnny Ramone Fest was a night to remember as hundreds of dedicated fans flocked to the beautiful Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a night of endless fun amongst the stars in attendance and of course those buried not far from the viewing area. Some fans brought beer to drink, few brought snacks to eat, while many brought books and records to get autographed by the many celebrity guests at the signing tent.


   Enjoy this video overview of the 8th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute


All in all hundreds showed up to help make this one of the best fests in recent memory and of course help to raise proceeds to battle prostate cancer, a disease that unfortunately took the life of the man we were all there to celebrate and honor, Johnny Ramone.


Tommy Ramone; original drummer and sole survivor of the original band posed for photos and signed autographs all night with fans of all ages. For those wishing to pose with Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee there was a life size cardboard cutout for photo opportunities not far from the official merch booth that sold original t shirts, pins, the book Commando and even a Johnny Ramone Army throw blanket!

In the VIP area where special guests from legendary Punk bands and cult movie stars were there mingling amongst each other catching up on weird tales of the Ramones and related topics. Famed street artist Shepard Fairey was even in attendance sporting the classic presidential seal Ramones shirt as he mingled with Steve Jones, guitarist of the Sex Pistols and LA radio personality.

Henry Rollins of Black Flag was a fan favorite of the night as was one of the worlds most famous rock wives of all time, miss Priscilla Presley. In fact Linda Ramone and Priscilla were seen backstage chatting together right before Priscilla made her way to the podium to introduce the nights film, an Elvis film, and all time favorite of Johnny’s, the 1958 black and white big screen classic, King Creole.

Priscilla seemed a bit nervous at first but began to open up and become comfortable in front of the large audience who held on to her every word throughout her speech. She shared her daughters relationship with the Ramone family and how Johnny and Linda have always been very important to Lisa Marie (who was scheduled to make an appearance but was not seen Sunday at the event). Priscilla discussed the circumstances surrounding the making of King Creole and how production was able to continue filming as The US Army allowed Elvis an extension before he was drafted into the army, making this his last film for a few years. It was a role that he took very serious as he was a fan of James Dean and wished to portray a character that had a depth seen in Dean films of the 50’s.


A special shootout needs to go to John Cafiero who puts together the entire Johnny Ramone Tribute along with Linda Ramone each year. John edited the book "Commando: the Autobiography of Johnny Ramone" which is a must has for all Ramones fans and music aficionados. John also manages Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone's Estates, The Ramones, The Misfits, and is also known as the singer in Osaka Popstar, so you can tell he has a very full plate.


Priscilla , Jerry Schilling (a close friend of Elvis and member of the Memphis Mafia) then viewed the film seated near other stars such as Dita Von Teese, Stan Lee (Dickies), Billy Zoom (X), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) PJ Soles (Actress), Joe Escalante (Vandals), London May (Samhain), Howie Pyro (D Generation), Rose McGowan (actress) Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Tommy Ramone and of course Linda Ramone. The masses of fans seated on blankets nearby laughed, drank, ate and clapped in unison at moments throughout the film and especially its dramatic ending where Elvis triumphantly sings at the King Creole club.

There really isn’t any other similar movie experience like one at Hollywood Forever when surrounded by Punk rockers with beer and food. All enjoyed themselves whether they were the most obsessed Ramones fan (we met more than a handful) to the casual Ramones fan. We even met a few die hard Elvis fans who had flown all the way from Elvis hometown of Memphis Tennessee for this very special once in a life time event.

Sunday night at Johnny Ramone Fest proved to be a surreal in so many ways and the experience of watching one of Elvis’s best films surrounded by people close to him and fans of all ages of both the king and kings of Punk was just too awesome!

As the night wrapped up just after midnight, the near empty cemetery appeared to be perhaps the most peaceful place in all Hollywood despite it being a full fledged rock and roll celebration just a mere hour beforehand.

Before exiting we made our way to Dee Dee’s memorial and admired the extra décor surrounding the bass gods grave stone before walking over to Johnny’s neatly decorated and very illuminated statue as we paid respects to a godfather of Punk rock. Johnny was a man who left an impact on music and the world that is still felt today and will forever live on. There is no denying it and one must truly recognize the impact his playing has had on rock music for the better. Our hats were off to Johnny that night as we celebrated his lasting legacy.

The yearly celebration at Hollywood Forever is an event we’re so grateful to experience and share with you readers all over the world, so do yourselves a favor and make sure to attend next summer. The event gets bigger and better with every year and any celebration benefiting the fight against prostate cancer is a cause worth your support. Stay in touch with all things Johnny Ramone and join the mailing list so that you will know about the events they throw  www.johnnyramone.com

We’ll see you all next year at the 9th annual Johnny Ramone fest, until next time ....

              More photos of the event can be seen HERE

-Louie Bones-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist

 

 

 

 

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The Aggrolites – on The Summer Stage – Hermosa Beach, CA

On a day where the temperature in most parts of southern California reached into the triple digits, The Aggrolites decided to bring a scorcher of their own.  On the sandy shores of the beautiful Hermosa Beach, The Aggrolites delighted an estimated 8,000 beach goers with their wonderful brand of Dirty Reggae in the fourth and last installment of the summer stage summer series 2012. 

Coming off one of the highest anticipated tours of the year, The 2012 Unity tour featuring Slightly Stoopid and 311 saw The Aggrolites perform across the U.S and around the world in front of hundreds of thousands of fans. But Sunday afternoon had to be one of the highlights of the trip, not only did it signal the end of the unity tour it brought The Aggrolites back to SoCal, something that had only happened 3 times while on tour.

But this show was different, this was home a sunset on the sand with family and friends and a few thousand people eager to dance into the night. The energy was unmatched and a smile beamed from the faces of the guys on stage and the all ages crowed dancing along. The set itself was a dream for any die hard fan like myself or the new fan listening for the first time it touched on every aspect of The Aggrolites catalog as well as a few choice covers specifically The E.K Bunch tune “Banana” made popular by the bands appearance on the highly successful kids show “Yo Gabba Gabba”.

Song after song it felt as if it was an eternity since one had heard this last performed but that only added to the pure joy of hearing it again. Not to be out of touch with their L.A roots a loud rousing cheer went up when organist Roger Rivas spoke about the recent acquisition of Dwight Howard by the Los Angeles Lakers proving how deep their roots run not only within the music scene but the community.

As is with all Aggrolites shows the music is so good the sets never seem long enough but this breezy sun baked Sunday afternoon the set felt perfect. Every song from “Complicated girl”, “Jimmy Jack” and “Dirty Reggae” felt seamless in their progression and played a perfect soundtrack to a beautiful day. Now the fellas get to rest before heading back out in September for the East coast surfing championship presented by Vans. But until then, “There’s no place like home”.

 

 

                             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Gio Van Dam-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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Sunset Strip Music Festival 2012 – West Hollywood, CA – August 16-18, 2012

The 2012 Sunset Strip Music Festival kicked off Thursday night with an epic variety of guests paying tribute to the 2012 honorees; LA’s first notorious bad boys of rock, The Doors. Jim Ladd of KLOS as well as shock rocker Marilyn Manson and John Doe of X led introductions and had choice words for describing the impact The Doors had on their musical careers as well as the LA scene and rock landscape globally.

Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman shared his tale of discovering The Doors while they were a house band on the sunset strip some 45 years prior and how in the bands short career they were able to change music forever. Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger and pianist Ray Manzarek then received The Elmer Valentine Award and a Plaque proclaiming August 16th 2012 Doors Day in the city of West Hollywood.  The two had permanent smiles fixed to their faces as they appeared to be on cloud nine all night on stage.

Things then began to take off as the all star jam got underway featuring backing from Camp Freddy. Vocals were handled in a honorary way by a number of guests, though all attention seemed to focus on both Robbie and Ray as their chemistry on stage was beyond electrifying and more than magnificent to watch from such a close proximity. In true 60’s fashion the band advocated the usage of mind altering drugs to open the doors of perception and to find your own personal Axis Mundi, they’re quite the thinkers those two, they gave more than just a concert but somewhat of a mini lecture! 

We caught Peter Murphy a short while later over at The Roxy Theatre where he performed before a packed house where legions of fans were pressed up at the stage and as far back as the bar area. Peter being the astounding performer that he is exploded onto the stage with a Bauhaus classic as his set opener which really lit the crowd on fire and caused the dance floor to get moving very quickly. It wasn’t long before he belted out a number of solo tracks that rocked the crowd in a Bowie esque kind of way. His newest addition to the band is a bassist who also doubles as a violinist which was heavily useful during “A Strange Kind of Love”; a love ballad which then bled into the ever classic “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” which once again struck a chord with the Goth heavy crowd. The highlight of the set did come at the very end with a cover of Ziggy Stardust which ultimately reminded so many fans of the short Bauhaus reunion of 7 years ago at The Wiltern theatre. Dramatic rock had never looked or sounded so good as it did at The Roxy that night.

Night 2 of the SSMF continued on with a special performance by one of our favorite hometown heroes, the and only X.  The crowd at the Roxy on this particular night happened to be a bit more ferocious and stir crazy than the previous nights audience and it was most apparent as the band kicked into the opening track of their debut album Los Angeles. The energy in the venue continued to build up as the four some steam rolled through the albums songs in the same running order as the record and proves that fans really do enjoy when a great band plays a great album in its entirety. The legendary punks managed to take things to a whole new level when they kicked into their 2nd album Wild Gift much to the crowds approval; X performing their first two albums in their entirety back to back, EPIC!

Only adding to the sheer epic-ness was the amazing Ray Manzarek of The Doors joining the band a number of times on stage with his keyboard for a bunch of songs through out the 2 hour set. The temperature in the venue had only risen as the set progressed and was beyond hellish and more humid than a south Florida beach party, but the fans kept a dancing and the band kept playing at the top notch level they have always been known for.

All in all it ended up being the raddest X concert in recent years by far and from what I overheard a security guard say after the crowd had left “That was the best show I’ve seen in all the years I’ve worked here!” It seems both fans and security can share the same viewpoints from time to time.

As Saturday’s street fest began It became clear that there would have to be lots of running around (much like every years fest) to try and catch a bit of what was going on at every stage and venue. There wasn’t a venue on the strip that we did not hit up yesterday in hopes of discovering new musical treats or bands we already had loved. The best thing about the Sunset Strip Music Fest is there is always a ton of bands from so many musical backgrounds that there truly is something for everybody. I’ll admit that of course there are going to be bands that I don’t care for but I give the fest’s organizers credit for assembling a festival with more variety than any other local fest in LA or OC. One of the bands that seemed to get the early audience pumped was Dead Sara, a band you’ve likely been hearing about non stop this summer since they’ve been killing it on the vans warped tour and burning ears on 98.7 fm. On the opposite side of the rock spectrum was electronica and hip hop favorites bringing their flavor to the east side stage. Steve Aoki, Leif Garret and De La Soul brought their A game and got the rave crowd dancing every minute of their sets. All the while southern metal gods Black Label Society destroyed the main stage with help from their arena rock multi stack Marshall amplifier stage setup, it was loud as fuck!

Leave it to LA Punks Bad Religion to prove that you can have a minimalist stage production and still out play bands with fancy expensive gear. Greg Graffin and co.’s primarily super high paced set blew away BLS and got the crowd moving for the first time that day and was a reassuring notion that short and sweet songs that remain straight to the point are usually proffered over technical virtuoso crunchiness. Much to the audiences liking Bad Religion played a variety of their back catalog never focusing too long on any one of their albums selection of hits. Bad Religion were the first band to get the crowd to circle pit as well, something that would be non stop during The Offspring’s stellar set that came right after.

A large number of fans made their way to the far end of the festival grounds and packed into the Whiskey A Go Go just in time to catch the legendary 45 Grave play their brand of Goth punk to old and new fans alike. Tracks off their new release Pick your Poison went over really well and seamlessly flowed back and forth between their classics. Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio fame got the same reaction from fans over at the Roxy where he performed an acoustic solo set.

The Offspring took the main stage as the sun began to set and easily made everybody else look and sound so elementary in comparison to their high energy and primarily old school set. The boys from Huntington Beach played so incredibly tight and worked the perfect amount of fan favorite and radio hits that their set seemed like greatest hits album played at a party where everyone got along in unison. It was festive and it was grand as the entire crowd knew every word and sang along to anthems such as “Gotta Get Away”, “Come out and Play’, “The Kids Aren’t Alright”, and the set closer ultra sing a long “Self Esteem”

Following The Offspring’s perfect set would be hard for any band and it most certainly proved to be for Marilyn Manson who appeared to most definitely be under the influence. As a result his set seemed really loose despite the cinematic productions put forth by his road crew as his stage set up looked amazing and probably expensive. All the stage fog and props helped to distract from the slurred speech in between his 90’s jams that went over pretty well though not at the level at which The Offspring’s crowd reacted. There were redeeming moments through out his time on stage last night and those were during his songs that put him on the map like “Dope Show”, “Disposable Teens”  and “Rock Is Dead”. His new stuff even seemed to get the crowd moving, but nothing he could dish out of his own material seemed to match the response from his Depeche Mode cover of “Personal Jesus” and ultra 80’s hit “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This” by The Eurthymics. His set went up a notch when surprise guests Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek of The Doors (who were honored at SSMF) joined the shock rocker for a number of Doors classics. People Are Strange, Love me Two Times and Five to One were played back to back with each song bringing out the performer in Manson that people had come to know 15 years prior, he became a maniac on stage and resembled a wild lizard king by the name of Jim Morrison as he similarly rolled around the floor screaming at the top of his dark lungs.

The encore of Antichrist Superstar and Beautiful People closed out his set before a confetti burst that rained hard down on Sunset blvd; where one could only imagine a clean up crew is still sweeping up debris at this very moment leftover from last nights show. Not to be punk rock biased, but I imagine many would have preferred The Offspring to head headline over Manson as Dexter and crews set got the crowd moving and singing all night while they performed like a well oiled machine compared to a band where the front man seemed to struggle from song to song. Its hard to imagine that Manson has sold more records than The Offspring or has gathered more buzz lately, whatever the case, The Offspring stole the show with very little effort.

To wrap up what we learned this year at SSMF is that younger bands are learning a thing of two from the bands that paved the blvd at how to rock crowds and do it genuinely, ala Dead Sara. Older bands like Bad Religion, 45 Grave and The Offspring as well as members of The Doors are still kicking ass decades after their first shows on that very same strip. And last but most certainly not least is that doing lots of drugs can diminish your performance capabilities and lessen your status as a badass rock god. Two terms I heard through out the night was “coke bloat” and “washed up“, sadly it didn’t take long for me to realize who and what the audience were referring to.

I ask myself this on the way home from every SSMF; “Who will they honor next year and who will headline?” I suppose we shall find out by spring of 2013 if mankinds existence hasn’t come to an end by mid December 2012! If we are all still here then we will most definitely be seeing you at the 6th annual 2013 SSMF!

                             More photos of day1 can be seen HERE

                                                                          Day 2 HERE

                                                                           Day 3 HERE

-Louie Bones-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist 

 

 

 

 

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