Four Letter Fest

The Fuck Yeah!! Fest strikes again.
by Staff

Three years ago, an 18-year-old kid named Sean Carlson got together with veteran punk Keith Morris (of Black Flag and the Circle Jerks fame) to make a festival. Well, really it was supposed to be more of a large gathering, but it quickly turned into thousands of wristbanded Eastsiders swarming the sidewalks, bars, record stores and venues of Echo Park in the spirit of good music. The goal: to have a huge number of independent bands-ranging from indie pop to electronic to noise to hip-hop-and a few comedians take over Echo Park for a whole weekend, and have all-ages concertgoers pay one low price to see the whole shebang.

Was it a success? Fuck Yeah!! And this year marks the third annual occurrence of the now legendary Fuck Yeah!! Fest. After various fiascos nearly moved the festival downtown this time around, Fuck Yeah!! is back in Echo Park this weekend, with over 60 bands and an extra day to boot. To celebrate, we asked six very different, very sweet bands on the bill the same six questions, and asked one very sweet guy-Sean Carlson-many, many different questions. The answers, we hope, shed a little light on exactly why the Fuck Yeah!! Fest deserves its name.

The Fuck Yeah!! Fest takes place August 18, 19 and 20 at the Echo, Sea Level Records, Jensen Rec Center, and a few more secret spots in the area. For a complete line-up and schedule, visit www.fuckyeahfest.com.

The Thermals
by Michael Mannheimer

Ever wonder what the Ramones would’ve sounded like on a 4-track? Portland, Oregon’s the Thermals play fast, fun, hooky rock songs-like if Bob Pollard decided to channel ’70s punk instead of ’60s nostalgia. Their new record The Body, The Blood, The Machine even adds some cleaner production and keyboards to the mix. Fuckin A, for sure.

In the spirit of ‘fuck yeah,’ what is the most offensive/rebellious/ thing about your music?
Probably the recording. We don’t give a fuck! (Well now we kind of give a fuck, but before, like on the first record, we were all, “We don’t give a fuck! That shit sounds good!” We had Chris Walla mixing our blown out 4-track cassette recording at his studio…fuck it! Get into it!) And also, sometimes we like to swear. We named our second record Fuckin A. That offends even us!

Have any of you ever been arrested or had a serious run-in with the authorities? If so, for what?
We were just violated by the German cops for some measly dimebags on a short tour over there. We were just taking a break at a rest stop, sippin’ some Alka Seltzer between shits (gas station sandwich…ohhh), doing nothing, and they rolled up on us in their plain clothes and frosted tips, and started berating us with questions about drugs, looking through all our shit, throwing our favorite sweaters on the ground, touching our dirty underwear, threatening us with dogs and prison time. We were like duuuuuuude. Y’know? You’re totally ruining my high.

What’s your favorite curse word/offensive phrase?
I’m not just saying this: “Fuck yeah” is one of my faves. Also, fuckface is pretty funny to me. I like how Megan Jasper at Sub Pop always uses the phrase “shitting blood” when she’s excited.

Have you spent much time in Echo Park? If so, what did you do? What did you think about it? If not, what do you expect?
Not much. We ate some pretty good food there once. It’s gonna be supernuts!

Do you plan on making music in 10 years? When you’re as old as Keith Morris?
Fuck yeah! (like that?) I got nothin’ else. It’s ingrained in me, like if I was from the streets. Music is my streets.

What other band in the Fuck Yeah!! line-up are you most excited to check out?
Well, I was excited about the Circle Jerks, but since they’re not playing, any old jerks will do.

Upsilon Acrux
by Evan George

Upsilon Acrux are unlikely recipients of any Rock and Roll Hall of Fame award; however, they may be the only band on Earth that has opened for both Anal Cunt and the Black Heart Procession. Now that’s a title. What’s even stranger is that whoever booked those two shows was not fired. Why? Because this Echo Park-based brutal prog instrumental attack band can entrap even those concert-goers who don’t worship at the throne of King Crimson. Upsilon Acrux’s Paul Lai (guitar), Jesse Appelhans (drums), Eric Kiersnowski (bass) and Brady Miller (guitar) have a way of mesmerizing any audience: Think math metal from D students.

In the spirit of ‘fuck yeah,’ what is the most offensive/rebellious/ thing about your music?
Rhythmic tension, and maybe the line we teeter between rock and conception. Actually, I think it’s the almost complete lack of  interaction between audience and band and the void of something  completely obvious to connect with, like a singer with cool hair and skin-tight, black jeans.

Have any of you ever been arrested or had a serious run-in with the authorities? If so for what?
Twice actually: Playing chicken with a cop in Utah landed me in jail and lifting gas almost got me killed, but instead resulted in a short bitch-out session in the City of Orange holding cell by a thin mustachioed bro.

What’s your favorite curse word/offensive phrase?
I like saying “gook” a lot, but I’m Asian so it’s cool, kind of… But the new thing I like is “chili dogging,” just referring to it as opposed to actually doing it.

Do you plan on making music in 10 years? When you’re as old as Keith Morris?
Umm… Fuck yeah!!! And it’ll be better than the stuff we’re doing now, or it will suck like Jack Johnson’s bare feet or the worst bohemian, hippie, singer/songwriter/shitty acoustic/coffee house/Spaceland/cowboy boots shit you’ve ever sniffed. And I’ll change my name to Peandra Blackheart or something more pretentious.

What other band in the Fuck Yeah!! line-up are you most excited to check out?
Our favorite band in L.A…. Bad Dudes!!!! And Gris Gris.

Future Pigeon
by Max Read

How can we tell which are the best bands at the Fuck Yeah!! Fest? If you’re measuring quality by the number of band members, then Future Pigeon (with eight musicians, including a live sound operator) would be one of the best there. Unfortunately, the value of a band isn’t measured by number of musicians (it’s slightly more complex than that). But no matter which way you judge them, Future Pigeon still end up on top-in innovation, in uniqueness and in pure groove. Easily the best dub/punk band in Los Angeles today, Future Pigeon will be bringing their trademark King Tubby-by-way-of-the-Clash sound to Fuck Yeah!!, and you better be ready (that is, stoned).

In the spirit of ‘fuck yeah’ what is the most offensive/rebellious/ thing about your music?
The offensive/rebellious amount of echo effects we use.

Have any of you ever been arrested or had a serious run-in with the authorities? If so, for what?
Vandalism, disturbing the peace, smoking weed.

What’s your favorite curse word/offensive phrase?
Dip-shit.

Have you spent much time in Echo Park? If so, what did you do? What did you think about it? If not, what do you expect?
I was born in Echo Park. The sounds of the police firing squads are not very relaxing.

Do you plan on making music in 10 years? When you’re as old as Keith Morris?
Yes, and every day we are getting closer.

What other band in the Fuck Yeah!! line-up are you most excited to check out?
Nudity & Blood Meridian.

Brother Reade
by Max Read

Given the choice, I would rather be on the same bill as the Wu-Tang Clan than be President of the United States. Unfortunately for me, I will never experience either, but L.A. hip-hop duo Brother Reade will be flying straight from their Fuck Yeah!! set to open for Shaolin’s most famous sons-so check them out before they get inducted into the Clan.

In the spirit of ‘fuck yeah,’ what is the most offensive/rebellious/ thing about your music?
That’s not something we’re entitled really to say. We can say that we’ve never put any ounce of compromise into our music, so none has ever come out in the product.

Have any of you ever been arrested or had a serious run-in with the authorities? If so for what?
Stop snitching.

What’s your favorite curse word/offensive phrase?
The word “no.”

Have you spent much time in Echo Park? If so, what did you do? What did you think about it? If not, what do you expect?
We’ve written and recorded most of our songs in Echo Park. Other than Winston-Salem (N.C.), Echo Park is our home. It’s the most living, breathing neighborhood in Los Angeles, and in a lot of ways it represents the ways that America can actually be a pretty amazing place.

Do you plan on making music in 10 years? When you’re as old as Keith Morris?
We were making music (together) 10 years ago. If we’re alive 10 years from now, there’s no way we won’t still be doing this or something like it.

What other band in the Fuck Yeah!! line-up are you most excited to check out?
I haven’t seen Barr since our first show in town with him three years ago. I can’t imagine where he’s gone with his music and show. It could be the thing that’s not to be missed this year.

The Ponys
by Nadine Levyfield

The Ponys come all the way from Chicago for the Fuck Yeah!! Fest, and their booming cacophony of strained guitar, upbeat vocals, and synthesized beats should fit right in. Recently signed to Matador, the Ponys are on the verge of being the next best band to see live, perfecting the drunk, sweaty concert experience with their melodic sound that simply begs to be danced to.

In the spirit of ‘fuck yeah,’ what is the most offensive/rebellious/ thing about your music?
Well we have a song called “I Wanna Fuck You.” I guess that could be offensive to some.

Have any of you ever been arrested or had a serious run-in with the authorities? If so for what?
I was arrested for “stealing cable television.” Funny thing was when I was in jail I got to watch cable all day.

What’s your favorite curse word/offensive phrase?
Wow! I have a lot of them. Queef, Fuckwad, Turkey Smuggler, Asshole, Cunt, Cornhole (now a popular game played in backyards across America), Knuckle Children, Chode, Joan Cusack, Open Toed Sandles Worn By Men, Booger, Skull Fuck and Ass Splatter.

Have you spent much time in Echo Park? If so, what did you do? What did you think about it? If not, what do you expect?
Not really, we’ve played at the Echo a couple of times and Spaceland once (is that in Echo Park?), but haven’t really had time to hang out. I expect a festival called Fuck Yeah!! Fest to be fucking!! awesome and for people to go crazy.

Do you plan on making music in 10 years? When you’re as old as Keith Morris?
I hope so, it’s hard to tell what anybody will be doing in 10 years. Keith’s only 35, wow he looks great. I think you’re supposed to lie about your age in L.A.?

What other band in the Fuck Yeah!! line-up are you most excited to check out?
Black Lips, Gris Gris, Dead Meadow.

Envy
by Lesley Bargar

There are times in the life of every man and woman when we’re so wound up, so fucked up, so eaten-up that all we can do is scream. In Japanese. Okay, so that last part may only apply to Envy, Japanese hardcore screamo band extraordinaire making their sure-to-be-intense West coast debut at this year’s Fuck Yeah!! fest.  Rumor has it this quintet slays Tokyo crowds, leaving them in an emotional puddle of tears, sweat, and probably some of that fluorescent pink liquid that flows through the streets of the Hello Kitty City. Here’s hoping they do the same to Echo Park (and that their translator understood our questions).

In the spirit of ‘fuck yeah,’ what is the most offensive/rebellious/ thing about your music?
I guess you could say our music is aggressive…and rebellious since not too many people are into it.

Have any of you ever been arrested or had a serious run-in with the authorities? If so for what?
None of us has ever been arrested.

What’s your favorite curse word/offensive phrase? (For you, I guess what does it translate to in English?)
Don’t really have a favorite curse word.

Have you heard anything about Echo Park? What do you expect Los Angeles to be like?
Never heard of Echo Park. I guess my image of L.A. is that it’s a dirty city with lots of gangs.

Do you plan on making music in 10 years? When you’re as old as Keith Morris?
We’ll always be doing music in some form or another. Ten years isn’t that long.

What other band in the Fuck Yeah!! line-up are you most excited to check out?
We don’t know who’s on the line-up so…we’re looking forward to see old friends though.   LAA