Photo by Barry Houlehen
Quarters Rock and Roll Palace
Quarters Rock and Roll Palace
The coronavirus hasn’t halted one of the most fun aspects of Trashfest. The quasi-disrespectful, kind of ceremonial tossing of crumpled newspapers at whomever is on stage will continue. Says longtime Trashfest organizer Paul Lawson. “I have no idea if disease can be spread by newspaper, so it will be there.”
The festival is being held this year at Quarters Rock 'n' Roll Palace (900 E. Center St.) on Saturday October 2 starting at 7 p.m. Trashfest’s rationale? “Bands get to goof around instead of what they usually do,” Lawson says.
“We did skip last year," he continues, explaining that COVID-19 cancelled an event that has been held since 1984. And it wouldn't have been the same as a livestream. “There was talk of trying to do a virtual one,” he recalls, “but I couldn't see having one without audience participation.”
Among the bands goofing around this year will be Trashfest-only perennials Nervis Virgins and Lawson's group, The Paulettes. Others may only be seen this one time, though. “The Band to Save the World, Dueling Theremins, Dekathlon, Giannis & the Koumpos are all formed just for this show,” Lawson says. But not all of them are entirely jokey. Dekathalon will be performing Kraut rock of the sort proliferating in Germany in the late 1960s and early ‘70s.
Under Any Alias
Another act will be making their festival salvo under an alias. “The Unwanted are actually The Unheard Of, who have been around for many years,” Lawson says. Still another ensemble has no need to go under a nom du Trashfest nor be an ad hoc assemblage to qualify for the bill. “Atheists & Airplanes are a band I saw at Pridefest and knew they would fit in just doing their regular set.”
Musicians who have passed on are often paid cheeky tribute at Trashfest, too. This year Lawson’s act will bring together ZZ Top’s recently-deceased founding member and one half of one of the ‘70s great soft rock duos. As Lawson puts it, “The Paulettes have a bass player who recently has been freed up from his commitments to his former band, Dusty Hill. And we also have Karen Carpenter on drums.”
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Trashfest has gone through plenty of trashiness through the years at venues including Irene J’s, the Falcon Bowl, the Stone Toad, Club Garibaldi, Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall, the Unicorn and the Cactus Club. As for who will be the trashiest of all this year, Lawson can't yet say. “I can’t answer that until afterwards. They are all losers.”
