Now that Gonerfest is over, and my obligatory after-coma is done, I’ve been thinking back over the weekend, wondering how to approach this article, but the only thing that keeps running through my head is, I wish I could remember more. More bands, more stories, more names, but my mind is a blur, and nothing save a time machine can help. Nevertheless, here’s what I do remember from my weekend. Well, here’s most of it; girl’s gotta keep a few secrets for herself.
Jason Testasecca is the kind of guy that does just about everything. He’s a part-time recording engineer (Midnite Snaxxx, Thee Goochi Boiz), 1/2 of Mandy + Jason (Burger Records) and current tour guitar player for Nobunny. Oh, I forgot to add one more, he’s also the brainchild of Elvis Christ, a new glitzy, garage-pop band out of Oakland, CA. Spending the last few years on the road with Nobunny has no doubt rubbed off on Testasecca, “Wild At Heart”, the A-side of Elvis Christ’s upcoming 7”, does play like a number off of First Blood, but Testasecca adds his own style of pizazz making me anxious to hear a whole lot more.
Wild At Heart will be out soon through 1-2-3-4 GO! Records.
We’re already gearing up for the annual ultimate weekend of debauchery with this mix, featuring most of the bands on this year’s line-up. It’s just a taste of what’s to come (and what you’d be missing if you’re dumb enough to stay home). We’ll be there covering the shows and chatting with the folks, so come out and party with us!
For anyone who hasn’t been, it’s a four day marathon of drinkin’, dancin’, bbq eatin’, and sweatin’ with some of the dirtiest, rockinest bands around. Enter The Gories, The Alarm Clocks, Shannon and the Clams, Ty Segall, and so so many more. Even the openers would be headliners at any ole show, but this is about as far from ordinary as you can get. Because Gonerfest isn’t for the posers, the hipsters, the faint of heart, the stand in the back, or the guys with girlfriends who like to be next to the stage but don’t want to be pushed. It’s a wild ride fueled by cheap beer and good music, where everyone’s too drunk to remember your name, but they’ll always give you a leg up to surf the crowds, where the many bodily fluids left on the floor are the sacred offerings to the gods of rock ‘n roll, and the bruises on your thighs will make your friends ask if you got fucked by an orc.
Truly, it’s a magical time, in a world of ugliness, that always serves to remind me that there are still good people doing good things. Gonerfest changed my life last year; it could change your’s, too. Only way to find out is to go. The full schedule’s after the jump. For more info and to buy your wristband, head to gonerfest.com.
Midnite Snaxxx will satisfy your craving for rock and roll made by women who remember that the Go-Go’s were once a scrappy punk band like them. These Oakland ladies have esteemed musical pedigrees, so it’s no surprise that on A Guy Like That (Total Punk), they serve up two tracks of old-school punk-pop played fast and mean. Sure, it’s a wee bit bubblegum, but who cares? With riffs this dirty, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were razorblades stashed in the candy jar. Besides, Midnite Snaxxx aren’t the type to go in for the frilly stuff—they’re way too basic for that. Guitar, bass, drums, and matching leather jackets are all they need to rock your world, but even girls this tough have gooey centers. Underneath all the crunchy power chords are songs that could’ve come straight out of the Brill Building. “Baby don’t you go, don’t you leave me alone,” they plead on b-side “Jackie” (androgynous name, a plus), while the title track has those sweet girl group vocals placed front and center. Revolutionary it’s not, but this kind of stuff always did sound great on a 7”, so buy A Guy Like That and slot it in your punk singles box where it belongs.
