A normal weekend on the Strip entails Yellowhammers, cover bands and messy fries. This weekend, however, punk music will take over.
Egan’s will host 14 punk bands from around the Southeast this Friday and Saturday as a part of the the first ever WeeeeewFest.
Drew Brooks, the creator and coordinator of the festival, said he was inspired by years of attending punk festivals, like The Fest in Florida and Jabroni Fest in Atlanta and wanted to see something similar here in Tuscaloosa.
Brooks first began listening to punk music when his sister gave him a Blink-182 album for his 13th birthday. It was the only thing he listened to for a month, he said. He began playing punk music when he was 15 and has been involved with various bands since then.
“When you’re 13 years old just getting into it, you’re just like some doofus kid just wanting to listen to these catchy short songs with hooks about girls,” he said. “And you get older and you realize how you just build these relationships with people through it. I have friends around the country and around the world because of it.”
He’s in Tuscaloosa-based band August Spies. Although the group technically broke up two and half years ago, they’ve played together a couple times since then and will perform again this weekend.
“I’m not going to allow myself to host something like this and not actually play it,” he said. “So I called them all up and they’re like ‘yeah let’s do one more.’ This might actually be our official last show ever but if it is I’m cool with it.”
One of the other August Spies members, Steve Johnson, is also playing this weekend with his current band, the Seagulls. Based out of Atlanta, the Seagulls came together after Johnson put out a Craigslist ad shortly after he moved there five years ago.
“[Performing] helps you get something out of yourself,” said Johnson, the Seagulls’ singer and bass player. “I don’t work out or anything like that so it helps me actually sweat and feel good and it’s nice to see people singing along, nodding along, running into each other along.”
Egan’s was a routine hangout spot for both Johnson and Brooks when they were students at The University of Alabama. Because of that, the Seagulls perform at the bar twice a year.
“When I moved here in 2008, I quickly just kind of latched onto this place for better for worse I just kind of haven’t gone away,” Brooks said.
Brooks said he met some of the bands he invited to perform this weekend, including the Memphis based band, Hardaway whilst here. When they came into town and needed a place to stay, Brooks let them crash at his place, according Hardaway’s Walt Stallings, which started up a personal and professional friendship. Hardaway recommends Memphis bands to come down to Alabama, and Brooks recommends Alabama bands to go up through Memphis.
“There’s so many good bands playing,” Stallings said. “I think it’s really just a testament to the kind of person that Drew is. There are a lot of touring bands from the West Coast and East Coast, they don’t know a lot about the South or the Southeast other than the big places to play like Gainsville or Birmingham, so for Drew to be able to get so many good bands to come down to Tuscaloosa, I think a testament to what a good dude he is.”
WeeeeewFest will start tonight at 11 p.m. and tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Friday’s lineup includes The Goddamn Rights, Ganges Phalanges, The Joy Kills, Spray Tan and Shehehe. Saturday’s line up is Jason Guy Smiley, Fun Shit, Bad Idols, Burns Like Fire, August Spies, Seagulls, Hardaway, Debt Neglector and Wolves&Wolves&Wolves&Wolves.
