Blackoutfest 2003 Preview
By Matthew Toledo - 4/8/2003
For the last 8 years, bands and patrons of the Union Bar and Grill in Athens, Ohio have come together on an annual basis to celebrate the world of underground rock. At first, the event was primarily a celebration for local grit-rock bands. It was a time to come together and party and gel as a scene. Almost a decade later, Blackoutfest's fundamental ideologies remain unchanged, however this year's event could mark Blackoutfest's transition from local party, to regional music showcase.
"There aren't Many 3 day underground Rock'n'roll festivals in this part of the country", stated Scott Winland who is one of many organizers of the event, "We're promoting this year's party nationally and have lots of folks coming in from out of town. We're thinking of it as more of a midwestern festival than a local show"
A new day of music has been appended to this year's festival for a grand total of 3 days of music. Day one starts on Thursday, April 24th at 6pm. The event ceases sometime late Saturday night after the last band is done. Every evening's "opening" act is a local band.
Take a "Virtual Tour" of the bands. You can listen to sound clips on the table below.
This year's schedule is listed below. Bands are listed in the order of appearance.
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Click HERE for a printable copy of the schedule.
Tickets for the tree day event are currently available at local record stores in Athens including School Kids and Hoffa's. A three day ticket costs $20.00 or you can buy a one day ticket for $8.00
The Union, which normally only serves lunch, will serve food all day Friday and Saturday because--he, you gotta eat, but if you don't want to miss any of the show, you can eat at the Union.
Saturday at noon, the bar will showcase "Trashy Rock'N'Roll Films" until 5:00 PM.
Local bands on the bill include familiar local acts like We March, Collapse, Geraldine, The Makebeleives, and Jacknife. Likewise, Columbus based bands Grafton and The Tough And Lovely have often frequented Athens over the years. Grafton played last years festival.
The Cool Jerks, Viva L' American Death Ray Music, and Mr Airplane Man are signed to the well known underground music label, Sympathy for the Recording Industry, which recently received some attention from mainstream media due to the success of The White Stripes.
Overall, Blackoutfest 2003 will feature more than a few underground "trash rock" bands that have some serious bragging rights. With the expansion of the fest two three days, who knows what next year's fest will bring? Four days? Or perhaps an outdoor stage? Only the Blackoutfest organizers know for sure.
