The Fest.

Wow the fest was fucking awesome. I mean goddamn. Three days of punk and beer and slight starvation. The first night was a bit rough, I got separated from Eric and Derek so I wandered around Gainesville drunk and alone. This isn't the first time that I've done this but its one thing to start the night alone and its another to end it alone. We started the day by meeting most of the other festers on top of the Holiday Inn, next to the pool. Everybody was drinking tons of cheap beer and laughing and yelling. It was fantastic. The atmosphere was perfect. We left the hotel later to go see some bands, most of the bands the first night were mediocre. I caught Naked Raygun later on into the night, they kicked ass. I ate some freegan sushi some girl gave me and stumbled around Gainesville. I met coyote on a side street. He let me sleep on his couch despite his girlfriend's protests. We stayed up late swapping conspiracy theories and watching youtube.

I woke up, and stumbled out into the sunlight. I heard a door slam behind me and I ran back to find Coyote behind it. He asked what I was up to and I said I was going to see some more bands. I thanked him for the couch and took a piece of paper. I wrote something like:

"Dear Eric and Derek,

I am walking between the hotel and here, the car. Please find me so I can eat.

Thanks,
Matt."

And stuck it on the car. I gave up on seeing Eric and Derek after about twenty minutes and walked on down to the Market Street Pub. There were a few bands playing at noon and I happened to find Eric and Derek. We saw Pink Razors and they put on a pretty good show. I went on to see The Underground Railroad to Candyland with Eric. We saw them a week before, in Richmond on their way to the Fest and I liked them so much I figured I ought to see them again. It was a great performance and the whole crowd got into it which is always great. They don't take themselves too seriously so of course they were wearing between them a lizard, pikachu, and gorilla costume. After this we got some pizza at Five Star, behind common grounds. Then we went to see Gaslight Anthem, and Fake Problems. Both bands put on a really good show and I want to see both of them again. Fake Problems especially. Then we all went to The Venue to see Dillinger Four. We had to wait till Avail finished playing but it was worth it. Dillinger Four managed to put on a really good show despite blowing two amps. They remind me a lot of NOFX except that the rest of the band doesn't really talk at all. We went to 1982 and saw five more bands before heading to the backyard of these three girl who love festers.

They spray painted some signs that said "Camp Fest 6." At first it was a small gathering, but it grew quickly and two young punks brought a stolen keg of Guinness Stout. It was a rowdy crowd and about five of us dedicated ourselves to getting the Guinness out of the keg. There were two dudes with guitars so they provided ample music for us to enjoy. One of them played stuff as diverse as Lit and The Offspring, the other played songs exclusively by Frank Turner.

The next day was our last so aside from a quick stint at The Atlantic and Derek leaving to see Lopan Takes Japan (Less Than Jake under an alias), we spent the full day at the second street bakery with the intention of seeing This Bike is a Pipe Bomb. There was a microscopic stage outside under a cheap tarp in a parking lot behind the tiny bakery. We saw a full lineup solely comprised of bands signed to Planet X Records and it was great. I think it was the best part of the weekend for me. Theres really two kinds of "punks" the kind who take everything really seriously, and the kind who don't take anything nearly serious enough. I find myself much, much closer to the later category. We saw Ghost Mice first, who were so full of heart and passion they reached the back of the crowd even though they were only playing on an acoustic guitar and a fiddle, completely devoid of an amplification mind you. Then we saw Defiance, Ohio who I wish I had heard of before so I could sing along to their songs. Finally we saw This Bike is a Pipe Bomb and they rocked so damn hard. I couldn't help but smile during the entire show. The were so funny and great. Matt and Kim played after them, and while I did really like their show, they weren't really quite my style.

Eric and I left and walked back to the downtown area. Upon arriving we both decided we were much to hungry to pass up food so we went to El Indio at the other end of town and ate some $3 burritos. We all left shortly after and Eric and Derek left me at a Truck Stop in Georgia just across the state line.