Feature / Music
The Fest 9

Words: Loren • January 3, 2011

The Fest 9
The Fest 9

Sunday

Come Sunday there’s a mass lethargy. A glance between bands will show a 50-50 split of waters-to-beers in the crowd, and usually a few people hunched over on the verge of calling it a day before it’s even started. Of course, performers also have to endure the early set times.

Dopamines

“It’s too early for rock’n’roll,” bassist/vocalist Jon Weiner muttered before they started their set. While his speech was defeated and unenergetic, their set was anything but. With Mikey Erg on guitar and a room full fans of the gruff-vocal pop-punk style, the band played a solid set with a constant stream of stage dives (including an impressive octopus costume). They may have been the first band to play, but they managed to get a hung-over crowd dancing like it was after sunset.

Monikers

IMG_4829.jpg

Besides Bryon Lippincott’s endorsement in our pre-Fest New Bruises interview, I’d enjoyed Monikers’ debut <Wake Up quite a bit and was excited to see the band for the first time. Naturally, ringleader Ryan Seagrist took the stage and announced, “We’re Monikers. This is most likely our last show.” He went on to explain, in less than glowing terms, that a couple band members chose not to come to Fest and that they were playing short-handed. To make things even more interesting, Josh Jordan (Stolen Parts, Jonesin’, ex-Off With Their Heads) was on bass—and was clearly learning their set on the fly. Throughout the set, he crossed the stage often, intently watching the guitar for ques. It sounded passable, which is clearly more than Seagrist thought of it, but they toughed it out with a mix of exasperation and whimsy, ending with not only a fun set, but a memorable one at that. I can’t say I’d buy any records based on their performance, but it was a stark reminder of how hard it is to perform on stage and I look forward to seeing their next project.

Frank Turner

With the official Fest ending at 10:30 Sunday night, Frank Turner was the last to take the stage. I only had a passing familiarity with Turner, mostly from his split with Tim Barry, but he didn’t disappoint. Not only did he play his song off the 7”, but he proved to be a great entertainer. With clever discussion between songs, a good back and forth with the audience, and general bemusement at their crowdsurfing to folksy music, he kept things down to earth despite his headliner status. He stirred the pot with an anti-Christian singalong and peaked the crowd’s enthusiasm by calling Fat Mike onstage for an acoustic version of “Linoleum.” All in all, while I might have been worn out from four days at the bar, Turner did more than merely capture my attention—he won me over as a fan. As time expired, he announced that he’d meet everyone in the street for a couple more songs. Of course, the Gainesville PD was privy and it never got started, but it serves to illustrate his passion, enthusiasm, and everyman ethic—all from a guy who’d just flown down on a day off from opening for Social Distortion.

My Fest 9, official and otherwise included the following band (likely missing a few): Worn in Red, Bridge and Tunnel, Young Livers, Claymonster, Julie Karr, International Dipshit, Night Birds, Soviettes, Too Many Daves, Future Virgins, Gateway District, HIDDEN SPOTS, The Tim Version, Tiltwheel, Chinese Telephones, Iron Chic, Brokedowns, Hot New Mexicans, That's Incredible, Born in a Cent, Bedford Falls, The Measure [SA], Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Toys That Kill, Tim Barry, God Damn Doo Wop Band, ADD/C, Dopamines, O Pioneers!, Sidekicks, Monikers, New Bruises, Arrivals, Underground Railroad to Candyland, Emotron, The Moaners, Ex-Boogeymen, Frank Turner.

--

Photos by Loren; homepage photo (Frank Turner) by Nicole Kibert / www.elawgrrl.com

Skip to page View as a single page

Loren • January 3, 2011

The Fest 9
The Fest 9

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. Thursday
  3. Friday
  4. Saturday
  5. Sunday

Related features

Jumalvauhti

One Question Interviews • March 27, 2025

Kalle (Jumalvauhti – bass) SPB: Who is your favorite band/artist from the 2000-2010 era? Kalle: It's hard to say, but Destiny's Child definitely can't go wrong.  Read more

Bronson Arm

One Question Interviews • March 26, 2025

Black Bickel (Bronson Arm) SPB: What is your favorite stretch of highway to drive in the US? Bickel: My favorite stretch of highway is that bit between Milwaukee and Minneapolis, two cities that Bronson Arm always have a great time playing. So if we are leaving Milwaukee, we are usually … Read more

Unstable Shapes

One Question Interviews • March 25, 2025

Kevin Hurley (Unstable Shapes – bass) SPB: What is your favorite Fugazi record? Hurley: While we can debate the best Fugazi record, a personal favorite of mine is The Argument. It was my entry point for the band. I was admittedly way late to the party on them and as … Read more

Retirement

Bike Shop

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • March 23, 2025

How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene Point Blank looks at how musicians split their time, and how their careers influence their music (or how their music provides escape). In this edition, we chat with … Read more

Let Me Downs

One Question Interviews • March 12, 2025

Paul Levesque (Let Me Downs - bass/vocals) SPB: Has the band ever been in a car/van accident while touring? Levesque: Fortunately, we haven’t! (Knock on wood) We have had our fair share of van issues. Blown tires, A/C going out in an hours-long traffic jam in the Arizona desert in … Read more

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025

More from this section

2024: A Year In Review

Music / Year End 2024 • January 13, 2025

It's a new year – hooray. And things are off to a fine start, too. If the thought of corrupt governments, AI domination, unmoderated social networks and endless war is causing you to retreat into the past, we don't blame you. In fact, we encourage it! Our writers have summed … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: Year End (2024)

Music / Year End 2024 • January 4, 2025

It's 2025, somehow. When did this happen?! Okay, okay, four days ago. But honestly. It feels like 2012 was only a few months ago. Is it just SPB who's feeling a little, well, timestruck? But don't worry – we've got you. Did 2024 pass you by, too? Still not caught … Read more

Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2024

Music / Year End 2024 • January 4, 2025

It's a SPB tradition to formally "pass the mic" to our artist and label friends to tell us about their year in music. What albums did they enjoy? What shows did they see? What are they looking forward to for the new year? We're joined this year by a host … Read more