Rock and Roll Inferno

Last night I had the privilege of working the door at my friend Jason Moss' ( Virus ) SummerFest. SummerFest consisted of 14 acts of local and regional origin. Numerous genres were represented. Beauties were in attendance( Ashley Croft and Angel Collins in particular - something about AC ) and Beasts were in full force ( Mondo and Mr. Blank in particular ). The venue was the Central City Skatepark and they could not have picked a better spot for such an event.

Although the place lacked another form of AC, I really believe that it was for the better. In my opinion, rock n' roll has always been about rebellion and going against the grain. It is what your parents don't like. It is what the authorities don't like. It is dirty, sweaty, loud, scantily clad, dangerous, uncomfortable, and brash. And that is what SummerFest was last night. It did not matter whether every act was your ' cup of tea '. The energy was there and every act played their balls off ( including the few female musicians in attendance ) and they looked good doing it. CITIZEN INSANE knows what rock and roll is. They know how to move, they strike the right poses, and they play like it is their last gig. And kudos to Chris Nylund. Talk about rock and roll fortitude. He plays with his other band ( MAGNIFICENT BASTARD ) at Third street park earlier in the evening then barrels into the Skatepark to perform with CITIZEN INSANE. AND THEN, directly after that, performs, AGAIN, with MAGNIFICENT BASTARD at SummerFest. Every act in attendance showed that sort of drive and determination. From IRON WHIP and RAT BABIES' heavy bass-driven get the hell out of the way or die rock to FOUNTNHEAD and JUBEE & THE MORNING AFTER with their feel the funk-rap and roll, it all came together in a way that many thought it wouldn't.

The naysayers would have listed acoustics, sound problems, the mixture of different genres, and the lack of air conditioning as reasons for its failure but in actuality it gave it the pinch of character that is a rock n' roll necessity. Divided into two stages, each stage had its own particular sound and personality and each act used what they had to work with to their advantage. It was the soundtrack for a venue of this stature. And it sounded good. To top it all off, the few that stuck around until the bitter end were treated to a retro-style Freakshow ( or Geek Act ) that was both entertaining and very rock n' roll.

Now I know that Moss did not come up with a groundbreaking idea when he put this together. These sort of fests have been put on for years and Macon itself has had its share ( The Bird Bash , for one ) of them. But the combination of these bands with the Skatepark providing the structure ( a structure that looks as if it could collapse at any moment , especially under the ear-shattering pressure of this line-up ) made it more rock n' roll than any show that I have seen around here in a long time. The addition of the occasional skater/rollerblader burning up the ramps with a trick or two up their sleeves was an added bonus which brought another level of danger to the proceedings. And as I said before, the sweat and heat made it all the more sexy, flirtatious, animal-like, devilish, and menacing. In essence, it was rock n' roll. The Capitol and The Grand Opera House are nice venues but the comfort and the ' safe feeling ' that it provides is nowhere near rock n' roll. When I see and hear these sort of acts I want CBGB's and THE 100 CLUB ( in London, an early home of THE SEX PISTOLS ). I want the venue to reflect the music. I want the crowds to be different but in a way the same. I want the commonality to be that we all like our rock n' roll to be housed in the proverbial hell. A place that our parents would tell us to stay away from. A place where the sights and sounds are seductive, beastly, and dangerous. Yet, we all want to come back for more. That is what Macon, a city built on rock n' roll, got to experience last night.

ABH