Rose City Rocks
Expanding rock fest shines much-needed light on local music scene
By Bliss 05/13/2010
In another sign that light may be shining around the corner for the local music and arts scene, the annual Rose City Rocks festival is expanding its scope this year. Promoter/organizer Scott Hildebrandt has booked at least 100 bands to play, starting with a kick-off party Wednesday night at 72 North; the music keeps blasting through Sunday, May 23, on indoor and outdoor stages at 72 North and Old Towne Pub. The five-day lineup includes a number of scene stalwarts, including the Mormons, Lungbutter, Fatso Jetson, Adam Marsland, Get Set Go, Collinz Room, Cinder Cone, 8Stops7, the Fresas, Voodoo Train, Jenni Alpert, Weatherground, Ovideo, Eggshell Egoz, Satellite Crush, Noble Creatures, and Stonyatti.
For years Hildebrandt has been saying he’d like Rose City Rocks to grow into a weeklong art festival — and it looks like that ambition is finally being realized. For the first time, the rowdy music event will also include an artwalk and mini film festival. Rose City Artwalk, an outdoor “artmart” showcasing works by local artists, will be presented by the Majestical Roof (88 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena) from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23. Admission is free and open to all ages; call (626) 844-8886 for more details.
Additionally, Hildebrandt scaled back the total band count a bit so that there’ll be sufficient room in the patio courtyard between the clubs for music as well as the Rose City Filmfest, which will present indie short films along with music vids and Web series episodes. That’s a logistical headache from an organizational standpoint, but keeping everything in one area will be a boon for attendees. A Rose City Rocks wristband is needed for admission to the Filmfest, and you must be 21 years of age.
That’s a long way from Rose City Rocks’ humble ’90s origins, when Hildebrandt hatched the idea of a multistage festival to promote the “Locals Only” compilation CD he had produced and placed in club jukeboxes throughout Old Pasadena. Then as now, however, the primary focus is on local bands, and Rose City Rocks offers a good taste of the area scene.
Bar-band-with-attitude Squeegee gets the rock rolling at Wednesday night’s launch party. In keeping with their motto (“playing whatever the fuck we want”), their music’s a pogo-spiked mix of power pop, punk and surf riffs likely to wind up head-bobbers and air guitar maestros alike.
Other bands worth seeking out over the weekend: Fatso Jetson, Ride Your Bike, Scott Ryan, Amy Raasch, Honeybreath, Manda Mosher, Big Joe Hurt, Babylon Saints, Light as the Day and Crippled and UK punk-rockers the Bermondsey Joyriders.
Rose City Rocks kicks off 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at 72 North (72 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena); $5. Call (626) 578-9990 for club info. The festival continues Thursday through Sunday with performances on stages at 72 North and Old Towne Pub (66 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena); call (626) 577-6583 for club info. Rose City Rocks admission costs $8 on Thursday, $10 on Friday and Saturday, and $7 on Sunday. Must be 21 or over to attend. For a full band schedule and other festival details, visit rosecityrocks.com.
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