Pack your bags, grab your bug spray, throw back a shot of Malort and follow the inflatable hot dog as Riot Squad Media is returning to Northeast Pennsylvania to take over the West End Fairgrounds in Gilbert, PA with the 5th year of Camp Punksylvania! The 3-day festival with multiple stages and amazing national and local acts like Dillinger Four, The Lawrence Arms, The Vandals and Bridge City Sinners, will take place from 20 June until 22 June. Tickets are available here. TGEFM had the opportunity to speak with Camp vet Black Guy Fawkes to discuss this year’s festival for the latest installment of this year’s Camp-centric interview series: Happy Campers. Check it out below and I’ll see you at the campfire!
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What has Black Guy Fawkes been up to since we last spoke ahead of the 2024 Camp Punksylvania?
Lots of touring! I just did some tours recently with Apes of The State, Sister Wife Sex Strike, and Pet Needs. Just had my first ever show in London with my buddies in Ralph, Henshaw, Mexican Dave, and Alice O’Brien. An extremely surreal time…… oh and I have a new record coming out! The Misery Suite! It’s coming out September 19th and I just released a new song called “Racial Battle Fatigue” Featuring Angelo Moore from Fishbone.
This will be my 3rd consecutive year seeing you perform at Camp Punksylvania. What makes you want to come back and perform at Camp again? How has it felt being able to watch this thing grow from the inside?
Camp remains my favorite festival on the planet. Laura and all of Riot Squad are super hardworking and it’s extremely awesome to see the new ways they try to get people involved. They care about building a safe and fun community and I think it’s evident when we see the smiles on everyone’s faces on the barricade or in the pit.
The Camp Punksylvania socials recently posted about the inclusivity and diversity of the team and lineup. From an artist’s perspective, how does the diversity of the lineup and the volunteers improve Camp for the artists and the attendees?
The thing about punk rock is that it’s a refugee for those who don’t feel a part of society. It’s more than 3 chords and screaming about the government. It’s a culture where you are free to be yourself.
I’ve been the sole black guy at a punk show for most of my life. The most comforting thing to see at shows like this are people who look like me on and off stage. To be able to see someone who looks like you, or someone who is LGBTQ+, femme or non binary onstage owning their shit is single handedly the most empowering thing anyone who is in those marginalized demographics to see. It shows you that yure not alone, someone gets you, and you can do anything you want.
The majority of artists in the punk, ska and hardcore scene have been CIS, white, dudes. You break that mold. do you feel that your race has ever hindered your path within the scene? Do you feel that you have (or had to) work harder to get your voice heard?
While I recognize my race and the problematic issues I’ve faced in music, Honestly I couldn’t give two flying fucks about my race in the scene and who takes issue/problem with it . My music is about my lived experience and my experience is I’m a black male with mental health issues focusing on healing. If you don’t like what I’m writing about, then my music isn’t for you but you need to ask yourself deep down “why don’t I like these topics?”
I do feel as if I had to work harder to be heard, especially in a scene where these songs have become more formulaic. I do feel like I need to vet out more people who are trying to “help” but doing it for their own selfish reasons or appear as if they’re diverse. These days, I feel as if I’m getting more opportunities based on merit and people paying attention/resonating with what I am singing about.
You are unapologetically pro-inclusion and political. If you had told me a decade ago we’d be looking at a 34-count felon in the Oval Office, a DOJ kidnapping legal residents to send them to concentration camps, a pro-measles Secretary of Health & Human Services and National Security texting war plans with the same flippancy our 11-year-old daughter shows with her classmates, I’d have told you there’s no way things could get so bleak… but here we are and it turns out you’d have been underselling the shitshow happening inside the dumpster fire of American government. How is this performative legislation and political malfeasance playing into your songwriting and your mental health? In this age of social media, members of the Q-Tang Klan have been emboldened to aggressively spew their ignorance with arrogance and anonymity, spreading misinformation at every turn. Where would you direct our readers to stay informed without having to wade through the bullshit from the traitors shouting from their bully pulpits?
We are in the darkest timeline. The things that are going on, I have talked about and warned people about since 2016. I’m at a place where I’m focusing on protecting my communities. Black, marginalized, local, and my punk community. We are at risk. We are in danger. We all need to stay as safe as possible and foster spaces for us to be safe/ourselves.I still speak out. I still make my voice heard, but I don’t doom scroll online. I read news articles from sites that I trust and stay up to date where I can. That said, I don’t look at Facebook news and pay attention to every detail. This administration is trying to burn us out and it’s very telling.
In a world where students are being detained for exercising their First Amendment rights in a student newspaper, it’s not far-fetched to assume artists could find themselves under fire for their lyrics. With the current political climate, are you finding it more challenging or invigorating to approach the causes you support musically? How do you think musicians can or should traverse such rocky ground right now? What steps, if any do you take to keep your personal life separated from your musical career? Have you found yourself in any uncomfortable situations with listeners who wanted to use their “trust me, bro” sources to minimize your music and lyrics?
I think we still need to speak out about what is going on or sing about it but We’re at a point now where musicians can’t just sing about these things and make overgeneralized statements. Now’s not the time to write these songs strictly for the algorithm and monetize off of.
We need to BE ABOUT IT. We need to make drastic movements, donate, educate others and foster change instead of creating a profit.
Black Guy Fawkes put on an awesome set at Camp in 2023 covering Gaslight Anthem, and bringing up Amy Gabba. Last year you took over the Shadow Stage with Linh Le joining you. What surprises are in store this year? What do you want the campers to say about your set (counselors, performances and activities) when they write home from camp this year?
All I can say about this set: I have a new record coming out. With a whole bunch of new songs and I’m going to have the full band with me…… do the math.
One of the coolest moments from Camp last year was the Career Mode set when Black Guy Fawkes and others joined the band to perform a few pop-punk and emo covers. Career Mode is returning this year, what songs could they perform to get you back on their stage to grab their mics?
If I hear any All American Rejects, Green Day, or My Chemical Romance jumping in fast
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see this year?
Bridge City Sinners, Rebelmatic, OBGM’s, Scowl, D4, Lawrence Arms, Makewar, Thick, Restroyer and The Kilograms
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
I love you all. I love riot squad media. I love Camp Punksylvania. This year makes 10 years of me doing Black Guy Fawkes and I owe it all to those who have supported this project. See you soon.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/