Ok so I have yet to update in a while and I think this past weekend was good enough that it warrants an update. So Friday I took off driving for austin, took the weekend off to go to fun fun fun fest. let me just say this was perhaps the coldest motorcycle ride I had ever taken. Though I did get to go nearly 100 the entire way, and at 1 point was up to 115, what a rush. In its 3rd year, this festival is truly amazing. Its like the warped tour without all of the suck. I called up Sadie in austin to hang out, but unfortunately her boyfriend had jsut gotten to town and they were all wanting to spend time together so she hooked me up with Maegan, a friend of hers from college, who provided me with a bed, and some companionship through her(Maegan's) roomate( i forget his name). So saturday morning, bright an early maegan pops in the room in staying and says sleep as long as I want and shell see me later. Woot. I wake up a little later call up tony, who still isnt in austin. ugh. So I get my gear packed and get this txt from Maegan to meet her at work, cause she wanted to buy me grub. Sadly, however, tony called me soon after and told me he was at the motel with becca and grant and for me to meet him there, which I did. We head off for fun fun fun fest.
So all of the things that are even remotely interesting to me are on Stage 3, save for 2 acts on Stage 2, of which I will mention later. Now for all of you out there who do know punk music, you will be able to appreciate this, and for all of you who dont, you wont even begin to fathom the signifigance. So Saturday I was able to see the following worthwhile bands:
Krumbums(pretty rockin)
Swinging Utters(Fucking awesome)
We missed The Adolecents, but caught the rest of ALL
and most importantly THE DEAD MILKMEN
who fucking blew me out of the water. I was up front and center against the stage for a legendary band. I held Rodney Anonymous up along with several other fans as he crowd surfed and then proceeded to imaginarily play his keyboard which was also floating on the crowd. He later gave it away(not to me, though I managed to rip a sticker off of it)
Other things to note about saturday: I fell down once or twice in the krumbums and swinging utters pits respectively. We left the fest to go change for one reason or another. I got gashed up climbing a tree. Had two seperate people recommend Rock of Ages for a tatoo, thought hey could not fit me in, and I could not go to the opening they had due to the awesomeness to follow sunday. We met jesus at the fest, he was wearing a WWE heavyweight championship belt, and proceeded to walk on water in front of us(saw him on sunday without the costume, he said "its sunday, im takin the day of rest off" ha.
After the first day of show, we drove through downtown austin to red 7, a communist bar, for the after party, of which there was a gainormous line. Ended up saying fuck it and headed to the Jackaloup bar, where we met up with several other fest goers and 2 punks from houston whom we are now in cohoots with. It was good.
Then it was back to the motel for a night of chatting with the notroious Becca, aka LuvShak.
Sunday: Here is where the shit fight gets vicuous and malicious
So we wake up late and head over to the fest in time to catch the illustrious Kevin Seconds(of 7 seconds) pretty awesome, before the Revival Tour. For those of you who do not know about the revival tour, its basically made up of several huge icons jammed into one band they play in when they arnt on tour with their respective bands. This revival tour was made up of Chuck Ragan, Tom Gabel, Ben Nichols, Tim Barry (members of Hot Water Music, Against Me!, Lucero, Avail). I only stayed and was interested in being there for Tom Gabel, who was fucking amazing. He played Walking is still honest and it blew my fucking mind. Among others. So once he finished his set we went over and saw leftover crack. Stizah reminded me very much of Bill. Here is an excerpt from their decription to help all of you understand what they stand for:
We are ANTI-RACIST,ANTI-SEXIST,ANTI-HOMOPHOBIC, and ANTI-BREEDING but PRO-CHOICE. We are not P.C., but share similar interests…we are simply against ALL forms of Fascism and against the petty infighting that can result in an exclusive scene where the true, terrifying enemies can be put on the back-burner because of our petty differences. I just wish we could unite to fight for the important things in life like freedom and equality and our polluted dying eco-system that we depend on to live. Yes, I mean these wicked corporations & their collusion with our government to feed you lies through the media they control. Wake the fuck up!!! And if you ARE awake or claim to be, please heed my warning that this infighting can result in nothing but the smallest, smug sense of self-righteousness and the alienation of people that truly want to help (most of the time, a few bad apples aren’t even usually that bad). Well, I can dream, can’t I or is thought-crime being enforced finally!!! Throw away the key. For a finely detailed explanation about our views on police, prisons, border police/immigration policies and the greed and corruption that fuel these loathsome enterprises, I can’t recommend the following book highly enough: ‘Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis’ by Christian Parenti (the son of Michael Parenti [the man whose spoken word quotes we used in the record:'No GODS/NO MANAGERS' by Choking Victim] whom also has written many books that have greatly informed our politics).
They are made of awesome. I managed to snag stizahs sharpie. Then it was back to the revival tour to catch the end of that, during which we met a man with platinum blonde hair and cowboy boots calling himself batman, with a batman tattoo on his chest and the insignia on his boots. After that it was DOA. simply amazing. I got an elbow to the face and black eye. MMM. At this point, if you know your punk at all your jaw is on the floor.
After DOA we miander around for a bit and then hit up the cro-mags, whom I saw thursday, but had to see again. Here is where the real fun is. In the cro-mags pit there were hardcores and punks alike. Tony was pushing people around the pit whilst I run in it. At one point he pushed some guy who was hardcore dancing, well this was a big mother fucker and he didnt take too kindly to it. So he decided to get retrobution. He socked tony clean in the face. Upon seeing this, I immediately stepped between the fuckers and belted him one right back. This proceeded to start a fight between the two sides. Punks from the left and hardcore fucks from the right. epic. I get pulled and pushed back and the fight gets broken up. At which point tony is lying on the ground with a broken nose bleeding profusely. I pick him up and march him out. Later on in that same pit, I got a head to the face, causing my nose to bleed. Along with falling on all 4s directly onto the contcrete. I tore up my knees and hands so bad I have not been able to walk correctly until today. We found out later that the guy I started the fight with was a member of the boston hardcore gang FSU and they were in mass at FFFFest. Security(whome we met up with at red7 later) told us that they were under orders to not throw FSU members out of the fest else the encite a riot. Goes to show you what ill do for a friend. Anyway, so directly after this is THE BOUNCING SOULS. Fucking amazing. I liked them, but didnt REALLY like them until they played live in front of me. I was again right against the stage. The highlight of the night was when they played Hybrid Moments by the Misfits. Blew my fucking mind. Then Kevin Seconds came on and played a song. They played all of the good ones. Private radio, kids and heros, etc. etc. etc. mmm I even got to hold up Greg Attonito as he crowd surfed while Kevin Seconds sang. Finally, the Bad Brains finished off the night. I couldnt get close enough to be in the pit this time as I was completely destroyed from the entire day, and could barely limp anywhere. Being dehydrated from the hot sun, liquer and redbull. well that will have an effect on you too.
After the bad brains we met up with becca after Tim and Eric's awesome show finished. Then I went on a hunt for pit prizes, of which, I am king.
After that we were all pretty dead. Headed out to red7 for a beer and talked with the security guy at the show. Went to Death Metal Pizza(Best fucking pizza in austin), and back to the hotel for showers and pics of our injuries and sleep. Drove back monday, and went to work. That was my weekend.
In other news. School is going ok, boring, art school, easy, ok. I got a new phone, for all of you calling my old one, stop it. Tmobile is being fucking gaytarded about transfering my old number to the new phone. suck. I gots me a G1, thats google phone for all of you out there not tech savvy. Its already proved to me how useful it can be. To and from austin, and in austin.
For xmas break, fuck home, im going to amseterdam. thats a fact. already requested off and everything. thats it for now kiddos.
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