Buy! your ticket to see your favorite artists. Attend! to be with your closest 3,000 friends. Embrace! those odd conversations. Experience more music than advertised. This year at one of the hidden side stages was a “BitchFit” performance. A band of 4 friends unapologetically kicking in doors and yelling that violence will no longer be tolerated. Frontwoman Ailish shared a megaphone with fans to actively scream NO to their personal situation. This was followed by the crowd’s response – “fuck (person’s name), you suck.” The four artists are small, but their ideals and voices are changing the world. Continue reading “Mosswood Meltdown Day 3 — Highlights from the Mosh Pit”
Punk rock is more than music; it is a way of life. As life changes, punk will echo the experiences. The first day of the Mosswood Meltdown festival put awkward to a ripping beat, swirled in a country twang, and added comedy to remind us at times we really don’t know the lyrics. During Mosswood Meltdown, nothing is ever certain; its punk rock why expect anything else.
Their intro-set had an elegant awkwardness that matched the tone of the dark lyrics as they echoed versions of death. Each song spiraled into the next flawlessly. Then the announcement -“Here are a few old songs”; thus, the second set. The transition was from an awkward movement to clean angelic harmonies on top of a ripping, punk-beat that was faster than the mosh pit could circle, bump, or bounce. A distinct crowd favorite -“Out For The Sun”- amplified the beautiful chaos.
They have a perfect blend of music containing variations from multiple genres: Rock, Punk, and Country. Their southern origin (North Carolina) bleeds country twang vibes into a punk rock edgy aesthetic. Allowing a hard rock power cord build up bridge bleed in a country twang with punk rebellion. It united every unique genre, as if this is the natural intended order of the world.
Karly Hartzman’s claim “Outlaw people are the punkest people out there” seemed believable when they transitioned from rock to country with the song “Phish Pepsi.” The entire band had an explosive performance. The following explanation revealed their reason and reality. On their last tour they could not celebrate the death of Lindsey ‘war-hawk’ Graham. Karly said she had to “Scream in memory from all the children that died in all the wars started by Lindsey Graham.”
“Wednesday” is the embodiment of their mixed genre style without rules. I noticed the guitarist adjusted the drums as the drummer tuned the guitar. When Karly inquired about the Oakland fragrance, a bottle was tossed from the crowd to the stage. Its contents were gingerly shared on stage. The performance was louder, faster, and more punk than previous.
Pavement’s performance was a remembrance to value the present, past, and unexpected. It was humorously linked by the charm, charisma, and comedy that only Pavement could deliver. The setlist ranged from Hits to dusty B-sides. They took liberties with legendary rock classics such as Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to heaven’ by keeping the rhythm and altering the lyrics to “I should have rehearsed in the hotel room, cause I didn’t get it right”, instead of “truly makes me wonder.”
There was a musical tour of California, via a Pavement song to describe each city. It kicked off with the announcement ‘Oakland was the better part of Stockton’ which was followed by hardcore punk screaming guitar riffs. Most memorable mentions were “Sound” for the desperate housewives of Alameda, “Down Down” for the Joaquin River, with a little something special for the beautiful city of Lindsy.
There were some sentimental moments in remembrance of Gary Young, the original drummer who left us in 2023. A voice from the band yelled out he left us long before that. This might have been the reference to Gary leaving the band in 1993 for his own endeavors. Despite the laughs on his birthday date resembling the unending math equation of pie; it was a sentimental movement. Shortly after a man from stage right ran into the stage and grabbed a mic. Security was quick to escort his return to backstage but Pavement’s Mark Ibold put his arm around him and they sang furiously loud.
Mosswood Meltdown is an annual beacon for all the freaks, geeks, rebels, righteousness, and everything that smells like punk rock. The East Bay punk scene has continued to thrive, as punkers converge on familiar and unique locations from 925 Gilman Street to the beach with a solar-powered van and even the public transit system. This is a dedicated mob of misfits that continues to expand and connect. It was no surprise that this year’s Mosswood Meltdown had a significantly larger attendance than years past. Moving the date to an off-holiday weekend was a plus. Although headlining a legend like Devo and closing the festival with Bratmobile, a new uprising force in the punk world, is a stronger likelihood for a significant increase in attendance. My main complaint was that this festival ended too soon. I am still hungry and looking forward to next year. This must have been a shared feeling, as the early bird tickets for 2026 sold out quicker than a sneeze.
The outstanding and highlighted punk-rock performances were Exploding Hearts, Giuda, Prison Affair, Osees, NIIS, and Twompsax. Every single moment on stage was special for a variety of reasons, listed below in order of appearance, with grand photo memories.
Gentleman Jesse
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Gentleman Jesse opened the festival with high-energy, simple lyrics and a catchy pop-punk feel. The musical influences of the Ramones were evident. The set was solid and better than I had initially previewed on Spotify and YouTube. The crowd demanded an encore, but the band politely declined until Charles (the MC) sided with the crowd. Lead singer Jesse Smith smiled broadly and said, “Only because it is your birthday, Charles.” Jesse was kind, considerate, and certainly prepared. They played a quick two additional minutes, then jumped off the stage.
Diesel Dudes
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Diesel Dudes delivered a hardcore/electro-punk with muscle joke theatrics. After the drummer finished his power weight lifting and dropped the barbell with a vibrating thump, I realized it wasn’t a fake prop, and neither was the show. The lyrics and beat were repetitive, yet not boring. The weight lifting powered up as the songs intensified. Performing alone is exhausting, and adding push-ups and weight lifting makes me think about how hard it is in the music industry. It was a heavy-hitting, thrusting, good time.
NIIS
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NIIS was anything but typical hardcore. Their extra fierce, raging presence energized everyone. The lyrics roared commands to fight for America, especially that ICE can “fuck off.” Vocalist Mimi SanDoe must have frightened the audio engineer as her mic was muted quite a few times. I enjoyed the ferocious expression. NIIS (nice) crushed it on multiple levels, from expressive, poignant lyrics to screaming guitar riffs. NIIS gifted the crowd with a live version of their fresh album release “NIIS World”.
Bleached
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Bleached 🙂 The return of Jennifer and Jessie Clavin with Bleached was wildly welcomed. Bleached has a calmer and polished sound compared to their previous project, Mika Miko. Smooth and heartfelt, they rolled out songs that have been missing from their live performances for over 3 years. There is a special connection with their fans that has only grown stronger.
Prison Affair
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Prison Affair (a musical project from Barcelona) links gritty vocals and lyrics that challenge isolation and one’s choices. The egg-punk sound emphasizes high-hitting guitar riffs, utilizing a forceful drum beat that holds the chaos together. It’s fast; it’s quick; it’s punk. The songs average one and a half minutes in length. Snoozing is not an option. If so, you will miss something truly special and punk.
Exploding Hearts
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Exploding Hearts ended abruptly 20 years ago, after playing San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill. The band’s sole release has been remixed and resurfaced by Terry Six, the only surviving member of the original band. The current success of the tour is a statement to the timelessness of the Exploding Hearts’ 1st and Last album. At Mosswood Meltdown, the entire band entered the stage with a commanding presence – kind, purposeful, and powerful. The set ended with the favorite “I’m a Pretender.” The vibe was of old friends in the prime of their musical profession. After their set, many fans spilled guilty confessions of missing their last SF performance. Yet, instead of feeling closure, they only want more. My response is always to choose to see your favorite band live; obligations will always be around the next day. Then again, second chances usually exceed expectations when Terry Six is involved. Unsure if this is a one-off tribute tour or a launch into the development of a fresh new album. I am hoping for the latter.
Osees
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Osees’ mix of drums and dancing vocal madness into an unhinged experience. Frontman John Dywer continues to bring something new and often chaotic to the live performances. The music hits garage rock, psychedelic punk, artfully delivering a unique, interesting, powerful, loud, poetic sound. The set-up was time-consuming, yet the outcome was rewarding.
Devo
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DEVO! Red Cone Heads flooded the festival early, announcing their favorite musical heroes are coming – D.E.V.O! These legendary icons surely delivered with preserved voices and fine-tuned instrumental fun. There were several set pauses for outstanding kick-back ’80s-style videos. Hinted mentions of the current world issues, yet keeping the vibe light. Such as:
“A warning that in this world we live in – we must – WHIP IT!”
The remix of the Rolling Stones’ “I can’t get no satisfaction” into the egg-punk beat and poetic spitting lyrics.
De-evolution is real! We don’t have to look for it.” “There was a question: Are we not Men! Response WE ARE DEVO!”
“Questioning freedom of choice: ‘Where did it go?’” “Do you want Boogie Boy? We do too!”
A memorable special appearance of ‘Booji Boy’ spoke of memories of John Waters and Boogie Boy’s good fortune to meet “Divine.” Sweet ending as the set transitioned to the end with their own version of “Beautiful World.”
TINA!!!
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TINA!!! This band really emphasized the attitude within “Bubblegum punk.” Tina (Boom Boom) is no stranger to the festival, with her previous band “Trash Women”. She blasted the favorites – “She’s so tough”, “Dirty Lies”, then thought all emotions: sad, angry, and fun… It was a great hangover cure!
Guida
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The Giuda experience was an Italian 5 finger air-punch of a good time. The lyrics are fun, fast, and catchy. Good luck attempting to sing along; the beat is quick with rock ‘ n ‘ roll rebellion riffs. The explosive energy from frontman Nenda is matched with the lead guitarist Lorenzo, bassist Danilo, guitarist Michele, and drummer Alex. The energy can move the handicapped into a jiggling dance squad. This festival gig was on the tail end of their US tour, and the band played a local club the night before; yet, they shook the ground like no other. I truly doubt they sleep. There is a Facebook post that they are currently recording something new at Studio 606 in LA – truly excited and looking forward to the next one…
Haus Of Libations
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Haus of Libations -An outrageous blast of ridiculously adult fun. The humorous acting and insightful props were creative and played well with the theme. The audience’s laughter rocked the venue—an enjoyable, radically uncomfortable show, created for everyone.
Twompsax
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Twompsax! Gotta love a poetic sound check. It was reminiscent of a vip show. Cher Strauberry, front person, sweetly gave a little teaser and something extra to restless fans between sets. Her multiple enthusiastic jumps and theatrics in expressing honoring yourself were emotionally uplifting. The set ended with Cher tossing the mic to a friend in the crowd, as a gift for her trans-birthday. As a crowd sang “Happy Birthday”, there was no need for a microphone. The entire city celebrates you. That is a community, friend!
Kreayshawn
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Kreayshawn – Natassia’s honest and commanding performance sparked the crowd. Backed by a spinning genius Jewells Pena (DJ Fatboy), was stop, drop, and stomp. The “Hello Kitty” presence was a fun addition, despite Kreashawn claiming she is a dog-lover. It was a sweet lead-in toward “Missing Kitty,” a cat who acted like a dog. Unsure if her little cat was ever found? Kreayshawn’s rhymes and word juxtaposition are creative, intelligent, and humorous. After an energizing performance and long commute, she did pay tribute to her fans with a meet/greet along the rail for photos and signatures. Honoring fans is such a big part of the community. Rap isn’t my go-to genre; yet, Kreashawn was captivating, engaging, and isn’t to be ignored.
La Luz
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La Luz‘s dreamy, sweet lullaby music swept the stage. Absent were the vocals until the second half of the set. The euphonious vocalizations blended with ethereal synthesizers and guitars to deliver a heavenly calm. They enhanced the afternoon with classic psychedelic-pop, delivering a soothing summer love vibe. La Luz introduced an additional band member, “the professor,” who led a worm dance competition down the center of a parted crowd. These female psychedelic musicians bring sweetness to the world with a timeless message.
Shannon and the Clams
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Shannon and the Clams! Shannon enthusiastically reminisced on the days she wrote her at Mosswood Park. Life can be so surreal at times. John Waters’ introduction was that “music is her ultimate cure.” The set kicked off with a rock version of “You Will Always Bring Me Flowers,” then moved into the sweet Doo-wop and blues/rock rhythm they are known for. It was a happy set that would cure anyone’s saddest moment.
Bratmobile
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Relieved Bratmobile is on the main stage this year. In 2023, I was climbing and swinging from the speakers just to get a decent photograph. This crowd was tight and intense. Having a photo pit didn’t matter; everyone crashed through to get closer to the front of the stage. Lead singer Allision had a few polite political discourses with advice on being creative with retaliation. Bratmobile always gives the crowd more than they can handle and is very generous in sharing the stage. Returning to the stage was Brontez Purnell (Brauny) with his special dance moves, Drew from Trap Girl singing “Bitch Theme”, “Fix It,” and The Linda Lindas with “Cherry Bomb”, and closing the night with Trent from The Mummies doing his best Danzig impersonation on “Where Eagles Dare.”
A special THANK YOU to all the sponsors, vendors, and fans that make this festival possible!
The annual Aftershock Rock festival is my favorite time of year. While creating my must-see schedule, I noticed a local Bay Area band with a couple of interesting YouTube videos and a new album release. Then I discovered they would be playing a pre-festival gig at my favorite punk-rock venue. So, I packed it up and headed out to Bottom of the Hill to see StrateJacket in person.Continue reading “Show Review: Dogwater, StrateJacket, 100%Jennifer at Bottom Of The Hill 10/4/2024”
Warning!This article has unsponsored, unfiltered tales from the Photo Pit. I’m excited to share highlights of Mosswood Meltdown, an absolute pinnacle event. I’m ever grateful for its return each year and its host, John Waters. Continue reading “Mosswood Meltdown — An Epic Punk Rock Festival”
Buddy Guy is a legend! The last time I saw Buddy Guy perform was a tribute to his late friend Jr. Wells. Almost a century later, he is better than ever and a little spicy while roasting the Grove audience. Buddy is known for helping younger artists achieve success. Opener Eric Gales may be young in comparison; yet, was epic on his own. Continue reading “Show Review: Buddy Guy and Eric Gales Bring the Blues to Stern Grove”
This concert was an extremely rare event. Possibly described as a single-night festival hosting only the headliners. Despite the unique opportunity, the majority of the crowd was late to arrive. Unfortunately, this is typical for a mid-week show with a start time of 7 pm at a venue as remote as the Concord Pavilion. Garbage executed an aggressive grunge-punk vibe; Noel Gallagher and High Flying Birds flowing chill melodies. Metric was the perfect dynamic intro, as their versatile style lent a glimpse of what was yet to come.Continue reading “Show Review: Garbage, Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds, and Metric at Concord Pavilion, 6/6/23”
Aftershock 2022 was a fantastic memory that will be hungered to repeat next year. Allowing over 40,000+ people each day to chill during a sweltering 99 degrees (Fahrenheit) with large mist blowers and delicious (health or comfort) eats choices were plentiful. The stage layouts were designed with both mainstages almost back to back with alternating performances with viewing screens of each other’s performance. Then the 3 smaller stages rotated with incredible talent that are under the mass media radar. As with all great experiences, I will always be missing something; thus, I did miss the first day of all my personal favorite bands. In addition, I am sure I missed out on others on the days I attended. Yet, the ones mentioned were phenomenal, and hope to see comments on your experiences.Continue reading “Show Review: Aftershock Festival 2022”
At the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival, you may arrive as an orphan, but you will leave with a close adopted family of one million. Hosted within the iconic Golden Gate Park, an all-inclusive backyard.
Each stage appeared to have a theme of strict bluegrass, Americana, funk, rock, or soul. It didn’t matter where you were all the stages hosted extremely talented artists with bookshelves of Grammy awards. Even when Marcus Mumford was introducing his guests and missed one; the trust was evident. If you were playing at Hardly Strictly, your talent is recognized, and you are welcome to collaborate. Wondering with discovery was encouraged. My least favorite part of the festival was making decisions, and my favorite was all decisions were good decisions.Continue reading “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2022 Journal”
Taj Malah concerts are legendary and, for me, a soulful, personal connection to self. The anticipation for this concert was huge, as he has many Grammys, a large following, and relatable lyrics. Preparation was beyond the normal process of selecting a close location to the stage and gathering friends and snacks. It was a trip and opportunity to recharge life with positive wonders yet to be seen. This audience was tight – a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. Yet, as I roamed the venue, there was always space for one more. Continue reading “Show Review: Stern Grove Festival — Taj Malah and Monophonics -A Legend is Present”
Mosswood Meltdown is an annual beacon for all the freaks, geeks, rebels, righteousness, and everything that smells like punk rock. The East Bay punk scene has continued to thrive, as punkers converge on familiar and unique locations from 925 Gilman Street to the beach with a solar-powered van and even the public transit system. This is a dedicated mob of misfits that continues to expand and connect. It was no surprise that this year’s Mosswood Meltdown had a significantly larger attendance than years past. Moving the date to an off-holiday weekend was a plus. Although headlining a legend like Devo and closing the festival with Bratmobile, a new uprising force in the punk world, is a stronger likelihood for a significant increase in attendance. My main complaint was that this festival ended too soon. I am still hungry and looking forward to next year. This must have been a shared feeling, as the early bird tickets for 2026 sold out quicker than a sneeze.
