PHOTO CREDIT: Ethan Duran
For four consecutive days, more than 40 bands from across Wisconsin and the country will play in both Riverwest and Walker’s Point from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 for MKE Punk Fest 9. This ninth annual festival will commence at The Local (807 S. Fifth St.) on that Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and conclude at Quarters (900 E. Center St.) on Sunday. But before that, an opening party was held at the Bremen Cafe on Saturday, Aug. 24. The free show was the perfect kicker for the four days of rock ’n’ roll noise to come.
Six bands took the stage in the small, crowded back room of Bremen: Atheists and Airplanes, VexNation, Rhetoric Vendetta, The First Rule, Beaker and Hi/Jack. Each of these bands were united under the banner of punk-rock music, but each had their own individual twist on how they sounded and how they acted on stage.
Rhetoric Vendetta from Lake Geneva play an excellent blend of skate punk and street punk–like music that would have been featured in an old skateboarding video. Established in 2013, the group has a lot of experience in their area of music and it shows both in their sound and onstage. With Vinnie Arvo slamming out guitar riffs and Habacuc Dominguez hitting every note on his bass in time, they sound like Strung Out, Lagwagon or other skate-punk bands that came from California in the late 1990’s.
“This venue tonight was one of the most fun venues we’ve played in a long time,” Arvo said after Rhetoric Vendetta’s set. “What made tonight the best was the people. It doesn’t matter who it is, or where it is, if the people are there and are getting down with your music, that’s what makes the show.”
Beaker, a punk/funk band, played in their mad-scientist getup with a light-up bass, light-up drumsticks and lab coats. Carl VanDommelen on bass and lead vocals and Gabe Fritz on guitar were both mobile on and off stage—they grooved to their own music as they punched out songs about science and squirrels. In between songs, the two formed an impromptu and absurd comedy duo.
“We have an underground festival,” Joshua Varichak, Punk Fest’s organizer since 2012 explained, “I kind of like it that way. It makes it a little more special. But we’re gaining more notoriety in our ninth year now and we’re seeing new faces.” This year, the Fest has received more submissions from bands than any other. Varichak also shared some details about The Local, formerly known as Club Anything, and the system they have there with three stages.
When one band’s set ends on one stage, the next band will start on another. Varichak likes this because it keeps people engaged and away from their phones. “You can’t get bored,” he said. “There’s always something happening.” On Day Three, which will be the biggest day of the Fest, an acoustic stage will be included at The Local. The Fest will also host a food drive for the Hunger Task Force, trading out two or more non-perishable food items for grab bags of goodies.
One important point Varichak drives home about Punk Fest is that it gives some bands a platform to play to crowds in places where they usually wouldn’t get as much attention. Punk-rock bands don’t usually fit into places like Summerfest or other normal Milwaukee festivals, so the Fest gives them a place to go to. “Give everyone a chance to play to a crowd,” Varichak said, explaining some of his goals for this year’s Punk Fest. “Meet new bands and network. Starting new circles and eliminating the clique-iness that a lot of the Milwaukee scene has—I just want to get rid of that. We’re all in bands, we’re all doing the same thing.”
There is still a lot to be said about the MKE Punk Fest this year, and it can’t be contained to just one article. To find out more about MKE Punk Fest and its lineup, check out their Facebook page here.
