antiFEST '02 - Full Coverage!

Recap by Keavin Wiggins

If you read the intro/background section then you know what a logistical tightrope we had to walk to put together a weekend of music consisting of almost two-dozen bands that not only rocked but also stood up to the intent behind antiFEST. The decision to hold it on a family holiday weekend didn’t help either but in the end it all came together and the first antiFEST was a success!

Since there were so many bands who performed, I’m going to attempt to keep these reviews short. So keep in mind that is not a reflection on the bands, it’s about practicality! Most of the artists gave performances worthy of full page writes ups and in the coming months we’ll be sure to give you a closer look at some of the amazing bands that made up antiFEST ’02.

Here are some highlights from the three days of antiFEST.

Day One

The first band to play Friday night was Bronco tatonka; an up and coming band from Anaheim (the same place that gave us Lit and No Doubt). This is a relatively new band and the members are young so it will be interesting to see how they develop over time. At this point their sound lies in the experimental punk realm sort of like a cross between Frank Zappa and Fugazi. They put on quite a show for the people who made it out early that night.

Next up was Bang Bang Bunny one of the groups that signed on at the last minute when one of the previously booked bands had to cancel. They got things pumpin with their rock meets hip-hop music and high-energy stage show. I’m not usually a fan of rap, let alone rap mixed with rock but these guys do it right. When I asked Harry what they sounded like, he joked that if the Beastie Boys, Aerosmith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers had children together Bang Bang Bunny would be their offspring. And you know what? That wasn’t far off the mark; these guys could put The Beastie Boys out of business!

The next band to take the stage was GM, one of Harry’s favorite young groups. I had previously seen these guys play some unplugged shows. At those shows I could see where they were coming from but lead vocalist GM has one of those voices that just cries out to be backed by loud rock! Think Incubus meets Pearl Jam. This was their first show with their new bass player and it went well. The crowd was into it and although GM over compensated on a few songs by going overboard with his vocals, you have to remember this was their first gig “plugged” in a while, so he might have become over enthusiastic with rockin out. Having seen them plugged and unplugged I have to go with their full electric set, their music comes across far better in a live rock format in which it was written for. Give these guys a few more rock shows under their belt with the new bass player to fine-tune their performance and songs and for GM to find a little more vocal restraint and this band has the potential to shake things up a bit in L.A.

The one band I was most looking forward to seeing on Friday night was WAXAPPLES, who signed on to do the antiFEST about a week before. I had called Frankie from Boobie Trap to ask her if they could play. Since they were a former artist of the month at antiMUSIC they seemed like a perfect choice but alas like a lot of locals bands we approached one of their members was out of town for the Thanksgiving Weekend. Frankie gave me the numbers of a few cool local bands and suggested I try WAXAPPLES first, since they are one of the best bands around. As luck would have it when I called Jamie Coakley to see if the band could play she instantly signed on.

I had never heard the band before and was instantly curious about them since the frontman of the group is Brian Coakley who fronts the legendary Cadillac Tramps and was also the man behind the mic in Rule 62. One of our former writers Goth Brooks just happened to have a CD from the band and was kind of enough to kick it my way and once I heard the music of WAXAPPLES I was blown away!

I expected the band to sound like the Cadillac Tramps, but to my surprise they were very different. They take guitar rock and mix it will sampling to give it a Cake or Beck flavor. Brian has a knack for writing pop formula songs and it seems like he has found the perfect vehicle with WAXAPPLES that matches not only his talent as a singer but also his vision as a songwriter.

They took to the stage and from the start the crowd was on their feet. They didn’t bring along their samples for this show, so it was pretty straightforward melodic rock with an edge. The mix of Brian and Jamie Coakley’s vocals were perfect and Brian is a born frontman. He knows how to capture an audience’s attention and hold it until the last note. WAXAPPLES set was short but definitely sweet and they brought the house down when they closed with “That’s Something”.

with The Rembrandts

WAXAPPLES really set the mood and Jimmy Coup helped keep things rockin. Don’t judge him by his day gig as the guitarist for Andrew WK. Jimmy’s heart is with classic guitar rock and that’s what he brought to the antiFEST.

Jimmy promised a special surprise that night and when he jumped on stage with Phil, Johnny and Dorian from The Rembrandts the audience was indeed taken aback. They were in for an even bigger surprise once the band started playing. We didn’t get the theme song to “Friends”, instead we were treated to a set of Thin Lizzy covers. It was only appropriate since the name of venue, Johnny Foxx’s,comes from a Thin Lizzy reference. You wouldn’t think that the Rembrandts had it in them but those guys know how to rock when they want. Even Greg jumped out from behind the bar and leaped up onto the stage to sing along with these guys.

It was all so surreal but definitely something that I will never forget. Hats off to Jimmy and the guys from The Rembrandts for bringin’ the rock!

It had already been one fun filled night of music when Fain took the stage to close out the first day of antiFEST.

The group is lead by Mark Fain on vocals and guitar, with Jerred Mueller on bass and Troy Patrik Farrel on drums. On this night they put the power in power-trio. Mark is a rock star, no question about it. Once he plugs in and starts rockin’, you get the full show!

Fain’s set consisted of new material and some old favorites from Mark and Jerred’s previous band Chlorine. Some may remember Chlorine from their critically acclaimed album released by Arista. Unfortunately, at the time the album came out Arista didn’t have the know how to market a rock record. The joke is they wouldn’t have been able to sell the Beatles. That’s not far off and many were saddened when Chlorine decided to call it quits after Arista failed to give them the fame and recognition they deserved. The great news is that Fain takes up where Chlorine left off and Mark has never rocked harder. If this performance was any indication then Fain are headed to the top!

Continue to Day Two