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 Detroit’s Come Out Fighting 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 should our readers know about Come Out Fighting; your history, your mission, your sound? What does Come Out Fighting have planned for us beyond Camp Punksylvania?
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to let our fellow campers learn a little bit more about us.
We have been making music since 2008. We have had a few line up changes along the way but we have pretty much been the same since 2014. Our sound comes from the variety of different music we are all inspired by. Some punk, some hardcore, and even beyond that. Each of us bring a different type of influence to the table.
Our current mission statement is to “Make Hardcore Fun” and that is exactly what we plan to do at Camp Punksylvania.
Post camp we plan to continue writing then record new songs.
You are gearing up for Camp Punksylvania, what does the festival circuit mean to artists like yourselves?
Fests like Camp and others mean a lot to us. It gives us a chance to see and share the stage with a lot of different bands from all over. It also gives us a chance to meet new people grow our and community. We hope to meet new friends at camp.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
For a lot of us it was hearing and seeing those 80s and 90s bands play. Bands like Sick of it All, AFI and Rancid. It wasnt just about the sick riffs but also the energy and style while perfoming. Those bands of that era showcased their talent and made it look cool while doing it.
Regarding live sets, what are you most excited to bring to the Camp Punk audience? What do you want the campers to say about your set when they write home from camp this year?
We want those individuals who get a chance to see us to say things like “That was a fun hardcore band” and “They had the best live energy”. We have always thrived to give 110% while performing live. Not 110% at playing well but also every ounce of energy we have. We want people to walk away from our set knowing they get every bit we had to give.
We’ve all got a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
Something I think we all regret is not committing a 100% of our time to the band when started out. Knowing what we know now we maybe should have taken those certain gigs or spent some extra hours in the studio to help further ourselves.
The punk and ska scenes have almost always been at the forefront of inclusion and diversity within the music scenes. The flipside of course is that the gatekeeping in the scene is also very prevalent? Why do you think the genre brings in such a welcoming community and is sohappy to let everyone in and also seems to shut the doors so quickly behind themselves?
These types of music scenes were started for the outcasts, for those who felt they didn’t belong. Whether we didn’t fit in at school or home we found a since of belonging when we found this type of music and the community to go along with them. Since those scenes are made up of those who felt like outcasts we were fine being inclusive to all. With finding your sanctuary it can be tough to let that wall down and let others in sometimes.
At the end of the day these alterative scenes like Punk, Ska, and Hardcore are for all who feel like they dont belong. Sure we knock our friends down while moshing but we also pick them back up.
If Punksylvania were a real camp, what activities are each of you leading?
Nick and Casey would probably do something chill like kayaking or relaxing by the campfire (probably with a couple brewskis).
Brad would get lost doing the scavenger hunt and he might miss chow time.
Dan and Brian would work on their tandem Water Blob routine, You know those giant water toys where you can launch people off them.
What song are you performing around the campfire this year?
Its so hard to pick one song since as a group we love some different genres but you can be assured it will be anywhere from “Cyco Vision” by Suicidal Tendencies to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cindi Lauper.
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see?
We are really excited to see some old school bands like Murphy’s Law and The Vandals, they are both bands that have given inspiration to us. We are also excited to see bands like Cancer Bats, Get Dead, and Spaced.
We cant forget to give and honorable mention to Hans Gruber & The Die Hards, What a band name.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
We would love to meet everyone we can. If get a chance, come say hi.
Be kind to one another and lets have some fun.
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/