For anyone who thinks Rock ‘n’ Roll is dead, think again.
When Gene Simmons proclaimed the genre to be extinct in a September interview with Esquire, he obviously wasn’t aware of the fervor and excitement one can find surrounding local events like the upcoming Grays Harbor Rock Fest 3, which organizer Justin DePriest says is a sign of the genre’s livelihood.
“That’s far from the truth for us,” said DePriest disagreeing with Simmons’ statement. “There are a lot of people out there who have risen up against that comment and we like to think that rock isn’t dead. We’re going to help keep it alive,” he said.
DePriest plays drums in the local rock band Gebular with his brother, Brandon, playing guitar and supplying vocals and friend Clinton “Dogger” Mullins on the bass. The three band members started Rock Fest in 2009, along with Mullins’ father, Ron, as a way to reinvigorate what the four saw as a music scene operating far below its full potential.
“The music scene has suffered around here a lot, so that’s a big reason why were’ trying to do this, trying to ignite something,” said Brandon.
The festival will take place on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Pavilion at the Elma County Fairgrounds and will include 12 full bands and 10 solo acts. The show starts at noon and wraps up at 11:45 p.m. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. This will be the third annual Rock Fest, after the show was put on a hiatus after 2010. The P.A.s and Monitors will be provided by the DePriest brothers. Contracting company, Vessey and Sons, has also donated a stage.
“The bands are making it happen,” said Clinton.
The festival, which is for all ages, had 1,000 attendees in its first year and is expecting 500-1,000 Saturday. Among the bands playing is Green Jelly, an eccentric, nationally known act lead by frontman Bill Manspeaker. Danny Carey, current drummer for the progressive rock band, Tool, was an original member of the band. Green Jelly’s song, “Three Little Pigs,” reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993.
PUNK ROCK PUPPETS
The event will have a punk rock puppet making class put on by Manspeaker, as well as a history of rock ‘n’ roll course put on by Clinton before the show at 10 a.m.
LOCAL BANDS
All the bands are from the Pacific Northwest, with local acts such as Motar and Fuzz Bomb and groups from outside of the Harbor, such as Olympia-based Full Moon Radio and Anitize, whose members are collectively from the Raymond and South Bend area.
“We took a few bands from different areas to draw some more people, but also kept it local so a lot of locals come out,” said Justin.
Money made from ticket sales is used to pay local bands, with additional revenue going toward making the event happen again in the future. Louie G’s Pizza in Fife, AJ’s Gardening, Boomtown Records and The Lucky Eagle in Rochester are all sponsoring the event.
COBAIN CONNECTION
As for Aberdeen being Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain’s hometown, one might think there would be an infinite amount of support for local rock music. However, the DePriest brothers haven’t seen that to be the case, adding that the late star’s struggle with drug use still tarnishes his image on the Harbor.
“It’s sad that almost everyone else in the country, and even other countries, support and love Cobain, but his hometown seems like they’ve got some vendetta against him,” said Brandon.
Justin says that Rock Fest is an attempt to do away with the stigma attached to Cobain and rock musicians that some people have, and also a way to encourage young musicians.
“We have a lot of young fans, so this event is for all ages. That’s part of the dream, to inspire people to go pick up a guitar or any instrument of any kind and play,” he said.
In the spirit of motivating others to make some noise, Gebular will record the high school rock group, Fuzz Bomb, at their home studio for no charge so they have a product to give away at the festival.
“They came over and said that no one else at their high school plays music. That’s crazy to think about; when I was in high school, there were people jamming everywhere. It’s a different generation coming about. I don’t know if it’s the new age electronic music, but there are just less musicians out there,” he said.
REVIVAL
Even with the times changing, for better or for worse, the DePriest brothers say they have seen a revival in the Harbor’s scene lately with the use of social media, explaining that local bands like The Pyrate Punx and Motar have done their best to continue putting on shows and getting people excited about the music.
“It’s taken a while for people to catch on, but I have seen a lot more people getting tickets and saying they’re going (to Rock Fest) on social media. It’s become more of a topic people are talking about. That’s exciting to be able to bring something to the table,” said Justin.
Clinton, who plays in the bands Fishing with Bigfoot and The Bangalores on top of being in Gebular, said that seeing bands at a young age in the area “changed his life.” In the future he’d like to involve schools with the festival, trying to disseminate positive messages through the event and rock music.
“The music really does capture people,” he said.
“It’s one of the arts we need to support,” added Ron.
Clinton also expressed the importance of the festival bringing people together. Both he and his father have played a key role in promoting the event, making fliers and selling tickets. Clinton likes getting the word out the old-fashioned way, by going to concerts and giving out fliers, instead of only using social media.
“It’s about people and being with others,” he said.
Ron had big ambitions for the festival, initially wanting to rent out Key Arena in Seattle for the event.
“I’m a dreamer,” he said.
With support from the community and the ability to get people involved, both Ron and Clinton think the sky is the limit for upcoming Rock Fest Festivals, wanting to make the Harbor a “destination and not a drive through.”
“We’re definitely going places with everyone pushing hard,” said Clinton.
“In the next couple of years, we’ll have the resources to take it to the next step,” said Ron.
Tickets for Rock Fest 3 are $15 and can be purchased at http://ift.tt/GFWON9.
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