Mezzos, Cumberland, MD – 13 Aug 2022
The epic final day of Savage Mountain Punk Fest
Saturday started out with an amazing pool party at a beautiful home tucked into the mountains. (It was hosted by Ron, the singer for Middle Age Brigade and an SMPA board member, and his wife.) I’m not sure why we got invited, but I’m glad we went. It was among the highlights of the trip. Like at the Savage Mountain Punk Fest itself, everyone was friendly and there was no gatekeeping. (Spoiler alert: I’m going to do some gatekeeping in a minute.) There was a lot of great conversation among the older, wiser punk crowd. The attitude was limited to the music. After eating, drinking and being merry, we again needed a short nap before showtime.
We wanted to be there in time to see our pals Good Men Doing Nothing, who earned their way into SMPF by placing second in a Savage Mountain battle of the bands event. They played first on Saturday, at about 5:30 PM. GMDN were the only band to feature an acoustic guitar (not punk!), and they eased us into the long evening with a great set of laid back punk. The highlight was probably the Huntingtons inspired “Fuck Your Pool Party”, despite the irony that some of their members of GMDN came with us to the previously mentioned excellent pool party. Check these guys out, especially if you’re in the Baltimore area.
Pittsburgh’s The Filthy Lowdown were up next with an intense, comedy infused set of metal tinged punk. (They got first place in the previously mentioned battle of the bands.) Even though they had a five string bass (not punk!), and one of the guitar players was wearing sandals (not punk!), I enjoyed their high energy set. At one point they even had a conga line (definitely not punk!). Look for new music from The Filthy Lowdown soon.
Middle Age Brigade, featuring Ron of the awesome pool party fame, played a solid set of gray haired hardcore. I remembered these older, local dudes from last year. They still bring an abundance of intensity and sincerity to the table. That’s why Middle Age Brigade are another staple of SMPF. We missed the end of their set to grab some food, but enjoyed what we saw.
SMPF veterans The Lousekateers added some strong female representation to the evening. The New York trio is led by guitarist/vocalist Ginger Val, and they play classic pop punk, often with feminist themes. They may have won the award for most unusual piece of merch with their many colors of fanny packs (not punk!). Their song “Fanny Pack” was also a crowd favorite.
The next five bands were an intense blur. There was no more time to catch your breath, let alone rest. Pittsburgh’s Mud City Manglers have played every single SMPF, and for good reason. They kick out the jams with a high octane brand of punk and roll. It’s dirty and nasty with raspy vocals and some great screaming guitar solos. Mud City Manglers’ records are great, their live show is must see if they swing through your town.
In terms of pure entertainment value, Tiger Sex may have been the band of the night. The Cincinnati trio (vocals, guitar and drums, no bass) felt outrageous and spontaneous, without coming across as contrived. Singer Kelly Chelston is the perfect combination of sexy and scary, and she can’t stop climbing on things. She also shared a Converse All-Star’s worth of PBR with a couple of lucky dancers up front. Other than The Stooges, of course, the Tiger Sex version of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” was the best I’ve ever heard.
Pittsburgh’s Submachine have been cranking out great sets of hardcore punk since well before many of you were born. The good news is that they’re still doing it more than three decades into their career. The better news is that it doesn’t appear that they’ll be slowing down any time soon. Their short, angry, confrontational and substantive songs (and a couple about beer) hit the spot toward the end of the evening. Submachine were the first, but not the last, band of the weekend to really transport me back in time.
45 Adapters seemed like the most out of place band at SMPF. They felt so metropolitan, especially against the Appalachian backdrop. Still, the crowd really loved these New York skinheads, and I suspect the feeling was mutual. It was a treat to see these guys for the first time, as they never seem to make their way anywhere close to my midwestern home. It was virtually impossible not to dance to their infectious jams, and I sang my ass off to favorites like “Patriots Not Fools” and “Dress Well, Drink Heavily”.
For me, anticipation was at a fever pitch by the time Blanks 77 hit the stage. I was a big fan of the New Jersey pogo punk revivalists in the mid to late ‘90s, but never stopped enjoying their music. Somehow I never managed to see them during those very active years when they were MRR darlings. They were definitely the SMPF band highest on my bucket list. I even had a brief but amusing chat with sharp witted frontman Mike Blank.
Blanks 77 certainly tapped into a serious vein of nostalgia. They took me back to a less complicated, much more carefree time in my life, but there was more to it than that. For a good portion of their set I felt that rare sense of transcendence. (I’m sure my heroic intake didn’t hurt either!) It’s something that’s grown increasingly rare as I rapidly approach the half century mark. “I Wanna Be a Punk” and “Up the Punks” were probably my personal favorites, but I sang along to almost every song. I even tried to pogo for about 30 seconds, until I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
Overall, Savage Mountain Punk Fest was another wonderful experience. It’s hard to find much of anything to complain about. I’ve had a great time at huge corporate events like Riot Fest, Punk Rock Bowling, and Punk In Drublic, but I’ll take the DIY SMPF any day. I feel much better about giving them my money too. At the end of the day, punk is all about community. SMPF has it in spades. I’m that much closer to being a lifer.
Confessions of a merch whore: Pretty good haul on day three. First, I got the recent repress of Heart Full of Hate, Mud City Manglers debut LP from 2000. Next, I got the Dress Well, Drink Heavily 7-inch (blue/white) from 45 Adapters, as well as their double 10-inch(orange) Collected Works Vol. 1. Finally, I got the Blanks 77 7-inch Gettin’ Blasted!. It’s their side of the 2016 split LP of the same name. (The Parasitix were originally on the other side.) Last but not least, I got a Good Men Doing Nothing T-shirt.
Part-time punk writer, suburban dad and angry old man. Follow my adventures on the Punk Till I Die podcast!
