by D Workman
The Fest in Gainesville Florida is considered by many to be the best punk festival in the United States if not the world. Folks from everywhere make the yearly trek to partake in 3 days of music, community and comraderie. I thought it might be fun to interview some of my and your favorite attendees, their bands, their brands, and see what makes this such a special event in the hearts and minds of so many. I'll try to get as many in as i can and hopefully convey a little of the joy it evokes!
Without further ado:
Who are you? Where are you from? and What's up?
Hi I’m Trevor. I’m from Bradenton, Florida.
Good to meet you Trevor! Let's talk FEST!
How many times have you been to FEST?
This is my second time
Who are you stoked to see this year?
I’m so excited to see Combat. Their album Stay Golden is way up there on my list of favorite new releases and I’m beyond stoked to be able to see them this year.
Right on! I had some friends see them recently and raved! You're gonna have a good time!
Since this is FEST two for you, do you have a favorite FEST memory to share from last year?
I have two if that’s ok. Number one, I ran into an experienced Fester friend of mine last time I was here and we were comparing schedules and she was like, “You’re not seeing Zeta!?” And she was just like trust me on this one. So I did and it just blew my freaking mind out of my skull, so I for sure recommend that. My second one is that same year Sunday morning and the power went out for a chunk of downtown Gainesville and I was in a basement seeing Ceschi. So suddenly, mid song, it goes totally pitch black. It’s all golden-hued in my memory but it seems like in less than a minute he had picked up his acoustic guitar and was singing and rapping to the light of our phones and it was a truly beautiful thing.
Oh that's tight! I've heard Zeta put on an amazing show so I've got it on my schedule as a tentative. And that Ceschi set sounds rad! Hell of a great memory!
What was your favorite part of FEST?
I think the best thing about Fest is that it affords bands and artists the chance to come to or through Florida and be involved in this wider scene, from the different genres of musicians to the comedians and wrestlers too. You’ve got tiny bands and genre defining legends all in the same thing. I don’t know, there’s something different about it, I think. Something really cool. I also really love that Fest is spread across different venues, it’s just an awesome vibe going from one place to another and seeing the Fest people doing the same.
It really is all about community in our scene, something I definitely love about punk.
Long day of band watching, hanging out, and walking around downtown, what's your beverage selection?
I don’t drink anymore so... well I’ll need to figure out the right formula of energy drink and water.
Good call, gotta hydrate and keep the energy up. I like it.
Alright just a couple left before our time's up.
What is something you are grateful for?
I try to stay mindful of the things I’m grateful for in life: I’ve got two great kids. Food and a roof and, you know, enough to be a little comfortable most of the time. Not everyone can say that. I’m truly grateful for the chance to get away for a couple of days and experience some incredible art with a bunch of amazing people.
What is a rumor we should start about you? Maybe get it going round the FESTivities.
I heard that Trevor is a really cool and approachable dude who’d love to make some friends and rock out this weekend and you should say hi if you see him.
Thank you for talking to me today! Folks if you see Trevor out in the wild streets of Gainesville this weekend you should say 'whattup' because that rumor seems to be the truth.
Til Friday in line, much love to all y'all.
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