Scranton, PA – 01 Sep 2023
Punk Rock Sleepaway Camp comes to Scranton
Summer camp is a magical place. Granted, I never went to a sleep-away camp and don’t think I know anyone who did but that shit is the basis for some classics like Salute Your Shorts, Heavyweights and Wet Hot American Summer, so it’s gotta be sick. A place where you will make friends around a campfire, have the coolest counselors on earth and have all of the best activities.
Camp Punksylvania had all of that and then some (including dirt merchant, Pennsyltucky, flea market squatters trying to get in on the action but we will save that for the day 3 review). Thanks to the team at Riot Squad Media, the femme-fronted collective that put on the weekend, campers (and commuters like myself) experienced a punk rock Woodstock in the Electric City of Scranton, PA.
On Friday afternoon, throngs of punks, all shapes, sizes and ages took over the Circle Drive In theater to experience a weekend of battle-vests, circle pits and community. Like every first day of camp on television, we arrived a little uncertain of who or what we’d be doing for the next 3 days. The anticipation, stemming from a blend of anxiety and excitement was palpable as the festival was about to kickoff with a toast from Riot Squad and Coffee With Lions. The toast, featuring a free selection of PBR and Kool-Aid Jammers, set the tone. Sure there’d be some antics under the influence, but even if that’s not your thing you were welcome. Included and celebrated. A perfect encapsulation of the modern punk spirit.
First up to the main stage were the aforementioned Coffee With Lions. The punk-core quartet didn’t just open the festival doors, they kicked the fucking gates in and got the crowd going immediately. Vocalist, Jon, remained off stage for all but last song because he was there as much as a fan as a performer. A point reiterated consistently throughout the weekend as the man was generally right up on the stage for the other performers. Community and catharsis were center stage, even if he was barely on it.
From that performance, attendees made the 5 minute walk to the Sampler Stage, a small tent lined by artist merch tables, hosting 15 minute sets. Despite its unassuming setup, the Sampler Stage held all the best surprises of the weekend, starting with Sweet Anne Marie, celebrating the first day of Camp in conjunction with the release of her new record, Heaven In The Distance. The sweet and poetic tunes she strummed along to on her acoustic were quite a different feel from that of Coffee With Lions… and somehow the dynamic worked like the blast and beauty of a firework.
On the main stage next was Hellminded Records’ Oh The Humanity. This 5 piece was the Friday performance I was most looking forward to. I came to the stage with a big appetite for their melodic hardcore sound, and left more than satisfied. The quintet was fucking magical and destroyed all expectations. The set was a fucking triumphant delight who stole the afternoon.
The Wasted took over the Sampler Stage next with their brand of drunk punk rock. The duo brought a bit too much crust and personally, their sound simply wasn’t my thing but they had the tent shaking with their high energy set. I had intended to take a break at this point to walk back to the car, sneak a pop-tart and rehydrate but the Chicago trio, Dead Rest and their aggressively melodic sound called to me from the Main Stage. Delicious pastries and high quality H2O would have to wait so I could enjoy these 3 tear up the show.
Black Guy Fawkes hopped on the Sampler Stage for the first of two sets he’d be performing today. The emotionally charged acoustic set was magnetic, attracting everyone to the stage, captivated by the heartfelt and raw sound. Amy Gabba hopped on the stage for a quick duet she learned that morning before closing his short set off with an acoustic Gaslight Anthem reimagining. Tech issues nearly derailed the next set from Teen Mortgage, as a head unit needed to be replaced and a member of the audience swore they saw smoke billow from an amp. Luckily for us, nothing was going to put a damper on the fast, loud and tech as fuck performance from the garage punk 2 piece. With the elements of grunge and what can only be described as speed psych or stoner thrash… eh, whatever it is, it hit me in the loins and I loved it.
I could feel the tummy rumbles from my missed opportunity to grab a bite during Dead Rest but stumbled over to the Sampler Stage and like a cartoon fox smelling fresh pies, I carried in to check out the biggest surprise of the weekend, No Complyance. Hoooooly shit. What an energetic set. This is the sort of shit I used to lose my mind to in New Brunswick basements. It was gritty. It was fast. It was loud. It was cathartic as fuck, and I was sold on what this quartet brings to the table.
(This is called foreshadowing:) The first of the 3 unfortunate moments of the evening occurred when my hunger twisted me in knots and kept me from watching The Squalors. I was able to hear them rock out while I grabbed some snacks from my car, but I was disappointed to have been so far away and missing the visuals of their set while hearing the powerful performance.
Traversing their discography and involving the crowd, The Dollyrots took over the main stage and put on one hell of a show. Bassist/vocalist Kelly Ogden’s vocals and storytelling between songs were as irresistible as the band’s catalog. The Dollytots (the children of Ogden and husband/guitarist Luis Cabezas) even took to the stage as the elder Dollytot, River, commandeered the spotlight for a joke and Yo-Yo demonstration. The crowd’s energy never diminished and somehow was never able to match the electricity of the band’s performance. When the band got to closer “Because I’m Awesome,” the crowd was in a giddy frenzy, eagerly shouting along and embracing the sophisticated silliness inherent in the feel-good punks’ saccharine sound.
Camp Punk was ready “close down” the day with headliners Tsunami Bomb. Since my first experience at Warped Tour, TB has always been one of my favorite live bands. The Petaluma-based outfit shockingly seems to have gotten better with age. High energy, jubilance and all around fun. I could watch these cats for eternity and never get tired. I think they might be pumping amphetamines into the crowd because nobody showed a sign of slowing. As the night brimmed with euphoria, the stage crew kept a close eye on the clock to ensure the required hard stop before the Scranton cops pulled the plug. Tsunami Bomb and the crowd could have gone on for another hour, but rules is rules, and the women of Riot Squad Media had big plans for later in the evening at the Fire Stage.
The stage, hidden deep in the wooded hills of the Drive-In grounds, leads me to the second negative experience of the day. After losing track of time chatting in the center of Camp, I missed the crowd and was left to find my own path to the stage. My broken sense of direction led me up a haunted hayride path of mud and muck that ended in a barricade I had to scale rather than the much shorter, slightly better lit, but equally Hills Have Eyes-y walkway everyone else seemed to use to get there. Going on the unnecessary route led to my missing Black Guy Fawkes With The Co-conspirators which made Tail Light Rebellion my introduction to the Fire Stage. The squat-folk-punk duo kept the fire going and the night running smoothly with alcohol-inspired singalongs. For my time, this was the moment that best encapsulated the Camp spirit as the audience and the artists shared a space, shared the moments and shared a sense of community.
Jersey fixture Mikey Erg came up to the stage at midnight and immediately made our collective hearts flutter. The Garden State mainstay has an unbelievable knack of bringing the energy. It doesn’t matter if you are seeing Mikey front The Ergs!, behind the kit with Dirtbike Annie or as was the case Friday night, commanding the grounds as the only person on stage, you are getting 100%. From the first moment his voice hits the ears, you feel cuddled in the universality of his lyrics. Mikey brought his upbeat pop-punk stylings to the crowd, and the crowd brought themselves to the fore. Erg did a fantastic job of slowing down, speeding up and captivating those of us in the crowd. So much so, that I nearly forgot I was a fucking moron who thought it was a better idea to make the 2-hour drive to and from the event when camping on the grounds was a much better option. When Erg’s set ended, I couldn’t make it any further to catch Lenny Lashley’s Gang Of One and had to end the evening a bit early.
The walk back down the (correct) path to my car and the entire drive home, I found myself beaming and singing along to the songs I’d heard throughout the day, internally applauding the organizers and the staff and finding myself ready for the next day’s festivities (but we’ll talk about that next time.).
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/
