#Fat Mike Presents Punk in Drublic Fest | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

themusicenthusiast · 7 years ago

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Sunday, May 6th, 2018 – Craft Brews and Punk Rock Icons and Rising Stars Collide as Punk in Drublic Fest Makes its Way South, Kicking Off the Spring Run with an Unforgettable Day in Fort Worth

Photos by Jordan Buford Photography Pairing punk music with a beer festival would probably be the antithesis of everything said style of music stands for. It could constitute as selling out, and there would surely be some individuals who would view it as such. But make that a craft beer festival and then it becomes a sort of holy matrimony, combining two different cultures where both bands and breweries are battling mainstream ideas and companies as they work to find their niche and capture an audience. And that is where the Fat Mike presents Punk In Drublic Craft Beer and Music Festival comes into play. A brainchild of NOFX’s lead vocalist and bassist "Fat" Mike Burkett, the event obviously takes its name from one of the groups’ most recognized albums, 1994’s Punk in Drublic; and even more appropriately Fat Mike teamed up with Stone Brewing to brew the NOFX themed Punk in Drublic Hoppy Lager. It’s really an interesting idea when you think about, especially considering that most craft beer festivals (at least the ones that typically take place in North Texas) cater to indie music fans. The Punk in Drublic festival instead being more dedicated to those subcultures of punk and craft beer. Originating as a 5-city west coast tour in late 2017, the event has since expanded, targeting six new markets in the spring of 2018, with Texas being the lone southern state on the schedule. Originally planning an Austin visit as well, that show was postponed and rescheduled for the fall due to the possibility of bad weather, making Fort Worth the first date of this traveling tour’s spring outing. It was a beautiful day for a festival, at least by Texas standards; and luckily the rain that had plagued the area just a few days before was no longer an issue. It was scorching, though. Every trace of shade was taken by early afternoon. For several that meant conserving their energy in the early hours of the fest, hanging out underneath the trees at the far end of Panther Island Pavilion. Patrons – which included some Austinite’s who had made the trek to North Texas, their original tickets being valid – were mostly unphased by the heat, though.

It was a festival. Getting sunburned came with the territory, the majority of attendees not going to let that hinder the experience as they milled about the grounds, exploring all the craft brew options and taking advantage of the free samplings that came with the ticket. The layout of it all was straightforward and quite nice. With some food trucks, drink stands and merch booths located at the middle point of the grounds, the brewery tents were all stationed at the opposite end from the stage. That allowed festivalgoers to hangout and chat if they wanted to, without having to shout over the music in order to be heard. However, the music did seem to take priority over the other aspects of Punk in Drublic. A lineup carefully curated by NOFX, it featured friends and bands they knew people would enjoy once they saw them. The Last Gang was one of those and they had been charged with kicking things off on this afternoon; the opening chords beckoning the few hundred spectators to come closer to the stage.

The trio comprised of Brenna Red, Robby Wantland and Sean Viele were feeling the heat. “It’s hot in California, but it’s really hot here!” Red -- the singer and guitarist -- remarked at one point. If it was getting to them they never allowed it to show, tearing through the half hour long set that they had, injecting it with copious amounts of venom and fury. She broke free from the microphone when she was able; Viele almost constantly roaming and darting about the stage, wielding his bass as a weapon. They were teeming with energy as they knocked out song after song, drawing from the recently released Keep Them Counting (out on Fat Wreck Chords). Polished just enough, their music still possessed that raw and gritty aspect that defines punk rock and it made quite the impression on everyone who had arrived in time for their 3:05 start time. Festivals are partly about introducing people to new bands, and The Last Gang was an excellent one to get a crash course in. They owned the stage for the time they had it, setting a high bar for even the well-established acts that were to follow, winning over a bunch of new fans in the process.

Firmly rooted in punk, each act on the lineup brought something different to the table, mining their own distinct sub-genre of the style. It was nice, allowing for a smorgasbord of sounds all within the same realm. Mad Caddies were the first of the older guard of musicians set to perform, their ska punk brand of music leaving the spectators feeling invigorated.

The seven-piece outfit powered through some technical difficulties early on. Sounding superb from the audience perspective, they were encountering some feedback on their end. “Let’s start that one over…” Chuck Robertson stated moments into their second number, equating the do over to being just like an eighth-grade class. After that brief setback it was smooth sailing for them; the rich and well textured “Brand New Scar” being an early highlight of their time on stage. Somewhat of a tranquil song, the ever-growing audience reacted strongly to it. The group even treated everyone to a cut from their forthcoming album. Punk Rocksteady (due for release on June 15th) will see Mad Caddies doing ska and reggae renditions of classic punk songs, one of which will be Green Day’s “She”. It bodes well for the rest of the record, because it’s a cover the way covers should be done. It was truly Mad Caddies own interpretation of the song, not merely them covering it, but restructuring it and their version sounded impeccable.

They were in fine form this afternoon. The horn section of Eduardo Hernandez and Mark Bush, on the trombone and trumpet, respectively, were as dynamic as could be, not only in terms of sound, but also the spirited enthusiasm that radiated from them. Their “obligatory love song”, “Drinking for 11” was all too appropriate for a day such as this, Robertson noting in advance of the song that it was at least a love song about drinking. Having about 45-minutes to work with in all, they filled it with plenty more gems and fan favorites, managing to hit everything fans most wanted to hear while still leaving people wishing Mad Caddies could have done more.

The intermission between bands allowed patrons ample time to wander around and explore all of the drinks being offered. Mid afternoon at that point, it was remarkable the amount of people beginning to make their way through the gates. The initial gathering of a few hundred was quickly increasing, hitting the thousand mark and climbing ever higher. When live music returned it was The Interrupters that were cranking it out; the Bivona brothers of Kevin, Justin and Jesse looking incredibly sharp (and hot) dressed in their suits. Aimee Interrupter rushed on stage moments later and then they were off on a rapid-fire assault that lasted much of the next hour. “A Friend Like Me” came across like some sort of anthem, one that established a solid rapport between musicians and onlookers, as if they were stressing to everyone they would not leave them disappointed. And indeed, they did not.

Interrupter maintained a steady gaze with the crowd, building further upon said rapport as she worked to capture everyone’s full attention. Justin was a live wire, not letting the heat get to him as he raced and jumped about the stage, contributing significantly to the high energy display that they maintained throughout their set. Their ska influences were on prominent display during “She’s Kerosene”, the lead single from the forthcoming Fight the Good Fight (due out on June 29th), which worked the crowd into more of a frenzy; the moshing growing more intense. On that note, one person spotted in the mosh pit was wearing a inflatable T-Rex costume, which was quite entertaining to watch.

The Interrupters’ first few songs in particular were carefully laid out, each one generating more excitement than the last; the group stopping only on a few occasions, either to introduce themselves or express their appreciation to people for coming out and listening. Including an explosive cover of Operation Ivy’s “Sound System”, they ultimately capped off their set with one of the most appropriate songs of the day. Taken out of context, “Family” felt like it perfectly summed up everyone there and the bond of the punk community. “This is my family. My one crazy family; the ones who understand me…” That was more than just a refrain, especially at the Punk in Drublic Festival.

Dispersing each time a band finished, patrons had plenty of time to get more drinks, grab a bite to eat, socialize or whatever else they wanted to do. Everything was timed well. The downtime never dragged on; and the stage hands quickly got the stage set for the following act. By that point in the evening a staggering amount of people had congregated at Panther Island Pavilion, there not only to enjoy the day but also the band that was essentially the co-headliner of the event: Bad Religion. No one was going to miss either of the legendary punk outfits that topped the bill; and Bad Religion had a special surprise for their fans.

The way that they took the stage was so compelling due to it being exceptionally casual. There was no intro music, or really anything to announce their arrival. Instead, Brian Baker and Mike Dimkich just strolled right out onto the stage and picked up their guitars, Jay Bentley doing the same with the bass, while Jamie Miller took a seat behind his drum kit. Even some of the crowd seemed unaware of it at first, fanfare erupting once they saw Greg Graffin rush out on stage. It was a refreshing entrance and it allowed Bad Religion to wield that much more authority over the spectators right out of the gate. Coming out swinging with "21st Century (Digital Boy)" (a song that, unfortunately, seems truer now than when it was written), they quickly earned the absolute attention of everyone there; the blistering riffs and commanding movements that Graffin made as he waved his arm about helping to create that moment that everyone was able to get lost in.

They had bold plans for their 64-minute long set, knocking out several more songs before getting to the special part of the evening. “…We’re not used to playing in these conditions,” Graffin remarked at their first proper break, having used the word “night” out of habit. Several patrons shouted with delight upon hearing him briefly mention the Warped Tour “a long time ago” as the last time they had regularly performed in the daylight hours, his comment seeming to bring those memories flooding back to them. That was when he announced what they had prepared for everyone on this day, planning to perform one of their records in its entirety. “…We’ll do it with no interruptions. No clapping…” the frontman continued, saying that was for the “musicians”. “Not me, but these guys that need to focus and play it,” he commented, making it hard to discern if that was their wish or a joke in line with a dry sense of humor. “It’s called ‘Suffer’, and the first song on it is ‘You Are (The Government)’,” he finished.

That set it all in motion, the other fourteen songs from that 1988 release coming in rapid succession. The audience couldn’t restrain themselves and applauded during the momentary silence that separated some of the tracks, leading to some friendly jokes from the band of, “I don’t remember any clapping on this album”. No spectator cared if that messed with the authenticity of the performance, they were just ecstatic to be experiencing that classic record live. It was something Graffin later admitted he never thought would happen back when they wrote and released those songs, thanking everyone for “indulging” them. Longtime fans may have been able to appreciate it more than any potential newcomers that were there, though that Suffer experience awed everyone, regardless of if they knew the songs by heart or were only somewhat familiar with them. The quick, unrelenting pace at which they tore through it made the five of them all the more riveting. They finessed the crowd incredibly well; and the rhythm section sounded superb, heavy and somewhat thrash-y. Miller was merciless with his drumming; while Baker, Dimkich, Bentley and Graffin packed as much energy as possible into the show, never slowing down even as the sun beat down on them.

What could have been considered the encore tacked right onto the main set, they treated everyone to a few more favorites before concluding things. Bad Religion’s performance alone was more than worth the price of admission. Hearing Suffer from front to back was pretty much a once in a lifetime experience, the topics and messages that accompany the music still being relevant and worth heeding. Fans savored every second of it, Bad Religion effortlessly reaffirming that they are, indeed, punk legends. And there was still one iconic group left to go. At 7:42 NOFX made their own unforgettable entrance, "Fat" Mike Burkett, Eric Melvin, Aaron Abeyta and Erik Sandin taking the stage to "The Time Warp". They danced appropriately, Burkett especially shaking and grooving to the song.

Their banter was just as entertaining as the music they would be cranking out, the four of them marveling at the 25-song set that their friends in Bad Religion had unleashed before ever beginning their own show. “This is why we can’t play as many songs as Bad Religion,” or something to that effect, was Burkett’s comment early on when he called attention to one fan, pondering aloud, “Who wears a blue shirt to a punk show?” It was followed by asking the guy if it was his boyfriend standing behind him, Burkett just speculating since the other individual had blue hair. Laughter ensued. As one would expect, from songs to statements, NOFX’s set was teeming with political and social commentary, often from songs that have held up far too well over the years. Though that wasn’t their exclusive focus.

Melvin took the reins for the blistering “Six Years on Dope”; while “Murder the Government” and the issues that it addresses made the track feel as if it could have been written within the previous week instead of twenty-one years ago. “We’re a political band!” Burkett exclaimed a few songs later after they had finished the aggressive and insightful “The Idiots Are Taking Over”. In that same vein, they even did “Idiot Son Of An Asshole”, albeit a redux. It boasted new verses, ones written specifically about the current man in the Oval Office, and oh, how the listeners enjoyed it. The night wasn’t all laughs and political jabs, though. There were some real sincere and somber moments, provided first by the candid “Whoops, I OD'd”. And since the mood had been brought down some, it felt like an appropriate time to do a song about what Burkett described as the “worst day” of his life. Their emotional tribute to the late, great Tony Sly, “I’m So Sorry Tony” struck a chord with every soul there, that song standing as a striking homage to Sly’s life and legacy.

NOFX’s set was flying by as they made quick work of the 75-minutes they had. By the time they got to some of their final numbers, their hits like “Linoleum” and “Stickin In My Eye”, it seemed as though they had only just started, Melvin, Sandin, Abeyta and Burkett still going strong, emitting the same amount of vigor and subtle hints of reckless abandon that they had when they first stepped out on stage. They soon capped off the Punk in Drublic Festival in a phenomenal fashion, having exemplified why they, too, are one of the greatest purveyors of punk music that the genre has ever known. While discussing how the Punk in Drublic Festival came about (quipping that his first choice was a “vodka and cocaine festival” but was told it would be tough to get a permit for that), Burkett gleefully exclaimed that they decided to opt for “beer and no kids”. Perhaps inadvertently, he touched on the shift that has occurred over the past dozen years or so, the younger generations no longer flocking to punk music the way that previous generations did; the Punk in Drublic Fest instead being a great way for the band to cater to their loyal supporters and punk enthusiasts who have grown up with them.

It could be argued that that shift has been because punk music and the community has always been about nonconformity. It represented a way for people to rebel against the ideals that society tried to impose upon people. And in recent years, nonconformity has become somewhat of a mainstream thing when you think about it, particularly among said younger generations who have had more freedom to pursue life on their terms instead of firmly adhering to traditional ways. Hence the slight decline that punk has had, at least from the mainstream world. It’s still out there. As was evident this day the icons of the genre still command as loyal of a following as ever. Plenty of other punk outfits are busy cutting their teeth and honing their skills in clubs all around the U.S. as well. You just have to know where to look for it.

And equally as important to the punk landscape as the expression of nonconformity is the feeling of community, and that was what made Punk in Drublic Festival such an outstanding event. Sure, the music was a cornerstone of it, with every act being outstanding in their own right, as was the craft brews and the breweries that were on tap for the day. However, that feeling of community eclipsed it all. A wide array of people had ventured out to it on this Sunday. Many fit into what some would consider to be the traditional punk mold, from sporting mohawks or shaved heads, to wearing attire with patches of their favorite punk bands and being moderately if not heavily tattooed. On the other hand, plenty of people showed up looking like casually dressed hipsters in shorts and bland looking shirts, no ink visible, if they had any at all.

The looks covered much of the imaginable spectrum, and no one was ever made to feel like they didn’t belong at Punk in Drublic. Who cared how anyone looked or chose to express themselves? Hell, that was part of the appeal. You could go to the event, let go of any inhibitions and just be you. Besides, everyone who was there was clearly bound by the same love and appreciation of punk music and brews and that was enough to cultivate a strong sense of unity. A must-see festival, Punk in Drublic Fest is poised to become a mainstay of the touring festival circuit. And if it’s done in moderation like it has been thus far, hitting a handful of different markets every six months or so, there’s no reason to doubt that there won’t be longevity for it.

Hopefully it will stretch on for years to come, but in the meantime, the Punk in Drublic Festival has dates in Richmond, VA and Philadelphia, PA on May 12th and 13th as well as Brockton, MA and Pittsburgh, PA on May 19th and 20th. The rescheduled Austin, TX date is September 22nd at Circuit of The Americas. And before taking it over to Europe for the latter half of June, Thornville, OH will be the city hosting Camp Punk In Drublic, a 3-day festival that is bound to be epic. Full details on all upcoming events can be found HERE.

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