Preview of: 2011 FYF Fest – in Downtown Los Angeles, CA on September 3, 2011

FYF Fest is returning for its 8th year of production on September 3rd with vast improvements made both on the production side and with the line-up. The Labor Day weekend event will consist of a plethora of bands ranging from alternative, punk, indie, dance, electronica, and instrumental. Set to headline the event, Descendents will be making yet another appearance in the LA area, their second since their stop in Long Beach for the Rise Against tour. Other bands with large fan followings also consist of the Dead Milkmen, Death from Above 1979, Explosions in the Sky, Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, Kid Dynamite, OFF! and several other diverse acts. Although there is a complete line-up scheduled and released for the event, FYF founder Sean Carlson promises a surprise to be revealed on the day of the concert.

The improvements made on this year's concert have been made as a result of the mishaps which engulfed the entirety of the 2010 festival. Last year's oversights, some of which consisted of a staggering $4 a water bottle and hour long lines to attain it, prompted Sean Carlson to commit new changes to the festival. One of the improvements to the festival involves a new found partnership with promotional stalwart Goldenvoice, which was done to prevent organization mishaps made last year.

Also changing is the location, which is moving from Chinatown's Los Angeles State Park straight into downtown Los Angeles, near First and Main by City Hall. To further remove issues from last year's event, there will now be more entrances added (including a separate one for VIP), water bottles will run at $2 each, and there will be three times as many food vendors as there were last year. Another feature, which isn't necessarily an "improvement" but rather a convenience, is that there will also be a fourth stage added to the event.

With the variety of acts and similarity to Warped Tour and Coachella's versatile line-up, FYF Fest has something for everyone. For those who lean more toward the punk rock side, Descendents as headliners makes the trip to FYF Fest worthy, especially since the band's stop in Long Beach consisted of them opening rather than headlining. OFF!, which features Keith Morris of Circle Jerks, is a newer band that upholds old school Hardcore Punk.

Also holding down the Hardcore Punk genre are Philadelphia natives Kid Dynamite, who are renowned for their melodic hardcore style. Dead Milkmen, who have recently released their first studio album in 16 years titled "The King in Yellow," will be making an appearance again after a 13+ year hiatus and death of bassist Dave Schulthise. The four mentioned bands alone are enough to make a trip to downtown Los Angeles come September 3rd.

Tickets for the event run at $35 each on TicketWeb, but fans have been warned that the price will eventually increase to $40 as the day of the event nears. VIP tickets are also available at $99, however, you must be 21+ to be able to hold a VIP ticket. For those who don't have internet access, tickets are available at select record stores, though there is an additional $2 fee per ticket. Los Angeles area record stores selling tickets are: Origami Vinyl, Headline Records, Permanent Records, Freakbeat Records, Fingerprint Records and Vacation Vinyl. For residents in the Inland Empire: Spin Records, Rhino Records, Mad Platter, and Glass House all have tickets available. For Orange County fans, Vinyl Solution is the only store with tickets available.

Line-up: The Descendents - Death From Above 1979 - Explosions in the Sky - Broken Social Scene - Cold War Kids - Guided By Voices - Simian Mobile Disco - The Dead Milkmen - Girls - No Age - Kid Dynamite - Glass Candy - Dan Deacon - Four Tet - The Head & The Heart - YACHT - The Weakerthans - Chromatics - Cults - Olivia Tremor Control -  Smith Westerns - OFF! - The Strange Boys - Japandroids - Nosaj Thing - Ty Segall - Mister Heavenly - Pink Mountaintops - Avi Buffalo - Cass Mccombs - Title Fight - Fools Gold - Tijuana Panthers - Touche Amore - Purity Ring - Twin Sister - Future Islands

For updated info go to: www.fyffest.com

 

-Stephanie M.-
Senior staff reporter

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