Photos and Review by: Emily Anderson
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.
Vivian Girls – Beat vs Mosh
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.
Wednesday – Who doesn’t love a punk rock scream!
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 – Comedy or concert?
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.
