If you’re like the rest of us who are bored at home and missing live performances, hang in there. We don’t know how long we’ll have to stay at home, but the best we can do is to stay positive and appreciate the simpler things in life. Artists and musicians all over the world are at home just like us. A big salute and thank you to all the artists who are continuing to push their craft from home. Fans, please enjoy all the virtual concerts while they last.
Another fun thing to do is to take a trip down memory lane. Can you believe Nothing Fest Halloween was only last October 2019? That was only five months ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago.
Watch the Nothing Fest Halloween live stream and relive all the memorable moments. Catch up on all the moments you missed like interviews with Strawberry Army, Tokyo Lucky Hole, Rend, Shock Therapy, Big Fun, Beach Bums, Enjoy, and Tijuana Panthers.
Nothing Mag was very fortunate to have our live stream sponsored by the company, How Live, a company from the Bay Area who are big supporters of our platform. Nothing Fest Halloween was our first time doing a live stream and didn’t have much time to practice. How Live was very professional and eventually we developed a good flow with going from performance to interview during the festival. (You will notice that we struggled with timing in the beginning.)
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to live stream all three stages from Nothing Fest Halloween, but we are stoked with the footage we got from the main stage. Hopefully one day we’ll get that opportunity again and will be able to live stream everything. A big shout out to How Live for collaborating with us on this event.
CHECK OUT HOW LIVE’S WEBSITE: HERE
We went ahead and clipped the live performances and interviews into separate videos for your easy enjoyment. Watch them below in order.
1) Velvet Starlings open up the main stage
Velvet Starlings was a late addition to the line-up and opened up the main stage. Christian Gisborne, the 16 year-old frontman, rocked an energetic performance. His sound is reminiscent of The White Stripes mixed with Arctic Monkeys. Earlier this year, Obey founder Shepard Fairey, praised the band for their music.
2) Strawberry Army talks about travel plans and their twin dynamic
You can tell we are trying to figure out timing and cues with this hilarious ending. Strawberry Army gives us insight into what it’s like being a twin in a band. After Rona is over, you can definitely expect Strawberry Army Worldwide to make moves.
3) This awkwardly timed interview with Tokyo Lucky Hole
Interview cut short with Clay from Tokyo Lucky Hole in this poorly timed segment. We’ll definitely have to catch up with him another time. At least we got some style sweet style tips. For now, check out this article we did on Satanic Mystery Feast.
4) Psychic Barber setting the mood
After we were blown away by Psychic Barber’s performance opening up for The Grinns at the Observatory, we knew what to expect from their set at Nothing Fest. With a plastic fork taped to his chest, Eli Spotts, Psychic Barber’s frontman, rendered us speechless with his extensive guitar solos.
5) Rend talks about their newfound success
We were excited to have Rend back after their spectacular performance at the Locker Room a few weeks before Nothing Fest. In this interview, the high school band explains how unexpected the past year has been for them and disclose a few of their major influences.
We also learn the key to growing a hearty stache, DON’T SHAVE IT!
6) Tokyo Lucky Hole spices things up
The members of Tokyo Lucky Hole are often spotted sporting glamorous cowboy-themed outfits, so it was no surprise to see that they went all out on their costumes for Nothing Fest Halloween. Their songs can be humorous and amusing, with titles like “Sex Robot”. Although they are a goofy bunch, Tokyo Lucky Hole proves that they are passionate about their craft through quality musicianship and songwriting. Seriously, I haven’t seen an accordion incorporated in a rock band since They Might Be Giants.
7) Shock Therapy talks about being clam people
We sat down with Shock Therapy to discuss their musical influences, their upcoming album, and developing their sound. The quartet is one of the most unique bands in the scene due to the obscure nautical themes in their lyrics and their one of a kind synth-punk tone.
DISCLAIMER: I know that new wave was alive in the eighties, I misspoke when I said that Oingo Boingo and others were “weird bands from the nineties.”
8) Rend tearing it up
Rend was a fairly new band when they played Nothing Fest, in fact, it was their first festival ever. The boys confidently rolled on stage and laid down twenty-five minutes of kick-ass music. Citing Black Sabbath and Tool as a couple of their influences, these metalheads incorporate elements prog rock and hard rock to create a fresh but extremely loud sound.
9) Big Fun cracks us up
While rocking star framed glasses and sucking on a lollipop, Big Fun explained their brand of “Gutter Tech” and made us laugh along the way. Unfortunately, they played on the Treehouse Stage so their set wasn’t recorded for the live stream, but you can listen to their stellar album, Happy Scary here.
10) Kevlar melts faces off
With a sound like Queens Of The Stone Age’s angsty little brother, Kevlar burst onto the stage with an explosive sound. I think it’s safe to say that their guitarist, Nathan Hawelu, is a contender for the title of Shredder King of Nothing Fest with the way he played his six string. Listen to Kevlar’s heavy self-titled debut EP here.
11) Ariel View vibes out
Playing fan favorites like “Friday Nights”, Ariel View brought a whimsical blend of indie rock and pop-punk to Nothing Fest. They were recently signed to Epitaph Records so be on the lookout for what Ariel View does next.
12) Beach Bums explains their musical philosophy
“You have to be open to music. It’s the language of the soul. If you don’t even give it a chance why are you even breathing?” -Kunu
For more words of wisdom like the statement above, watch Beach Bum’s interview.
13) The moshing begins with Death Lens
The five-piece from Los Angeles came out with a ton of energy and had the crowd eagerly dancing along to their music. If this performance isn’t enough Death Lens for you, check out their live session that they did with our friends at Chad’s Home.
14) We went backstage with Wyatt Shears
We could’ve asked Wyatt a plethora of questions about the substantial footprint he has left on the indie and punk scene with his bands Enjoy and The Garden, but we were able to narrow it down to five. During the interview, Wyatt hinted at a new Garden release which has since found the light of day. Listen to the new Garden record here.
15) Beach Bums puts on a legendary performance
Few bands can captivate an audience like Beach Bums. Their first few songs were extremely aggressive. The crowd instantaneously threw themselves against each other the second Beach Bums played their first chord. As the night continued they promoted their “genreless” approach by playing songs that ranged from surf rock to rap. Regardless of what style they threw at the audience, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves from beginning to end.
16) Tijuana Panthers graced us with their wisdom
The Tijuana Panthers explain how they keep the spice alive after being in a band for over twenty years. I did not mean to be offensive in the delivery of my first question, but they are cool dudes and didn’t take it to heart. Listen to their new album Carpet Denim here.
17) Mellowing out with Enjoy
After the Beach Bums electric set, we all needed a break to chill out and get a breather in. The calm bedroom pop of Enjoy was the perfect contrast. Enjoy hopped on stage with his star-studded cast of The Shears Twins, Cowgirl Clue, and Tommy Midnight. Together they delivered in fan favorites like “I Have Wasted So Much Time” and “Go Figure”.
18) Tijuana Panthers close the night with an epic climax
The Tijuana Panthers did not disappoint as the headliner. Playing all of their classics like “NOBO”, “Cherry Street”, “Creature” and “Cherry Street”. The most lively part of their set (and arguably the liveliest moment at Nothing Fest) was around the forty-minute mark when they played “Creature”. The audience turned the stage into the dancefloor while the Tijuana Panthers jammed out. It was the perfect way to end a wonderful day of music.
Nothing Mag would like to thank all of the artists who performed at Nothing Fest Halloween, everyone who attended, The Garden Amp for hosting us and How Live for sponsoring us. We are currently planning the next Nothing Fest which should happen sometime in September.
We hope to see you all after this whole Rona thing blows over, but until then support artists and musicians online.
