So, you wanna know how Gonerfest is? How a 13-year-running punk rock festival and punk record label, for a whole weekend, bring people to the city of Memphis, Tennessee… full of music history and home to some of the greatest and my favorite punk rockers, punk legends? I don’t even know how it does it. It just does. I wish I had a better answer actually. I think the fact that this label and community just make stuff all the time, and they play it and they play it a lot… and as something they believe in and truly just want to give to people or give themselves… that’s how they get. it. done.
All of the bands that perform at Gonerfest are an important variable in the punk scene or are currently ripping through the scene with all they’ve got and just doing their thing. Underground or not- whether you notice or not. Maybe that’s why I’m writing this? You need it. They’re all so individual. You can’t categorize these bands and performances into one folder- or better yet, you just can’t compare them.
This year’s Gonerfest 13 brought acts such as the Black Lips, NOTS, Aquarian Blood, Useless Eaters, Buck Biloxi and the Fucks, Trampoline Team, Blind Shake, Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds and more. It brought other bands I have never listened to before this. I didn’t see as nearly many bands as I wanted to/ I found new interests such as Fire Retarded and Archie & the Bunkers- a couple of kids out of Cleveland just banging on organ synths and drums. It’s wild! Gonerfest is a blast. If you like raw-energy, I-just-really-wanna-do-this music… try these bands out. Try Gonerfest out.
Day one, I got to Memphis on Thursday night way after NOTS already performed (thanks school). So, Friday, I made my way over to Memphis Made Brewing Co. for Trampoline Team. Trampoline Team are a 3 piece snotty punk rock band from New Orleans… yes, right over there! You can read my review here and peep some of the photographs I made. They did not disappoint. They don’t ever dissapoint. After that, I skipped some of the day shows to save energy for the night showcase.
One of the cool things about Gonerfest is that they partner with local businesses and venues to put on some of their showcases that weekend such as Memphis Made Brewing. That evening, I posted up at the Hi-Tone- a local music venue staple. I saw Aquarian Blood (Memphis) first. It was surprisingly my first time catching them live since they find themselves down here a lot. Same with Buck Biloxi and the Fucks. After those two sets, Blind Shake played. They are a band you see a lot at Gonerfest.. I think Goner is a huge fan. I saw them last year at Gonerfest 12 for the first time and they always bring this wild energy to their live sets that I really just can’t get streaming them on Spotify or something. The two guitarists and drummer flail and jump and bring the excitement. The crowd totally responds which is always one of the best experiences about live shows. When the Black Lips came on next, everyone was still pumped and sang all of the songs. I never thought I would catch The Black Lips or find myself seeing them, but I’m glad I could catch them at Goner with this crowd. They played M.I.A. (one of my all-time favorites) last and that was just… night. made. Goodnight. Farewell. So. Good. That was just fun to lose it to, okay.
Day two, I found myself with a busy day and really only scheduled myself to see a couple of the bands over at Murphy’s. I saw Fire Retarded and Archie and the Bunkers. Both were really fun to photograph. Fire Retarded is this guitar driven garage punk outfit that played really fast and really wild. It definitely hit my garage rock heart and was a nice change up to add to the Gonerfest mix. I ran inside towards the end of the set though because I had to see Archie and the Bunkers. They probably get tired of being called kids, but nothing about what they’re doing is unimpressive or young and naive. They know what they want to do and they do it. Someone shouted “barely legal!” and they quipped back with a little “illegal!” I also must admit my bias to a punk band with a synth. It’s why I like a lot of the post-punk classics, it’s a reason why I love currents like NOTS and Quintron and Aquarian Blood and others. I’m just a sucker for it and I am not afraid to talk about it! These two… maybe just 17 years old?… a pair of brothers had a blast on stage. People ate that up. They knew the presence they wanted, they made faces at us, sang in our face, beat on their instruments and of course threw them all over the stage towards the end their set. Everyone danced along to their songs. I think they mentioned it was their first time on tour, too. They’re getting started. After, I definitely bought a button. I always have to have a button.
Other than Goner, you know I did the Memphis things and ate at Gus’ and Central BBQ. That and some good live music will make your weekend. Check out Goner Records here. Keep up with the label, the plethora of bands, future Gonerfest news and more.
You can tune into my Magical Mystery Tour episode next Wednesday, October 12 to celebrate the legacy of the prolific Memphis punk musician and Goner Records artist Jay Reatard and the 10th anniversary of his solo album Blood Visions.