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just kind of came out of nowhere," says Derek Wiggs,
the unassuming, punk-rocking founder of SlopFest. "I
was just hanging out with some people and someone
said, 'That's not the worst idea ever,' or something like that."
Not a bad idea indeed; what started in 2009 as a one-day
free-for-all became a two-day free-for-all in 2010. This year,
SlopFest is slated to span three days, which either indicates
that this event is a burgeoning success or that Wiggs is eager
for more chaos. Either way, Athenians can expect another
sloppy free-for-all in 2011.
This year, the first night of SlopFest is free and it's intended
to be sort of a "dance party kick-off with a few bands" fol
lowed by an all-night set by DJ Mahogany. Wiggs "tried to get
bands with more of a party atmosphere before the DJ goes on"
for night one. An S8 wristband gets you in SlopFest the last
two days, or you can opt to pay $6 at the door per night.
In 2009, the economic crisis caused Athens's previous
end-of-summer blowout, PopFest, to be put on hold, and it
returned in 2010 as a fall event. So, for the past two years,
SlopFest has filled the summer festival finale void that PopFest
left behind. While the name "SlopFest" came about principally
"because it rhymes" with PopFest, Wiggs explains why the fes
tival's title is appropriate:
"It is kind of sloppy—when I talk to bands from out of
state, I have to warn them: you're going to have pretty quick
sets, and it's going to be hot as hell outside. Some people get
sloppy drunk. There's beer, there's barbecue... it's just a wide
variety of... I don't know... [SlopFest] kind of came out of the
ether and just keeps going."
SlopFest '09 may have been Wiggs' first foray into running
a festival, but it wasn't his first time putting on a show with
only Mmself and a small group of friends helping out. "In high
school we used to do big house parties," he says. "Maybe it
was somewhere in my subconscious, percolating and waiting to
come back."
While the lineup is diverse, SlopFest features many bands
in the punk-rock tradition. To get some idea of the SlopFest
experience, one must appreciate a broad definition of the word
"punk." The word might translate roughly to "chaos" or even
"slop," and Athenians who dig this kind of music and environ
ment don't often get to sate their anarchic hunger in such a
concentrated burst. Festival attendee Winston Dangler was
ecstatic when he discovered SlopFest in 2010:
"It's the best environment to see all the punk bands you
have heard of but never actually made the effort to go see,"
he says. "And the music and fun are constant. Last year I saw
such a wide variety of music: from the loudest two-man metal
band to soul-punk."
Wiggs likes the fact that he's serving up a treat for those
who brave Athens' calm yet sweltering summers, ending the
off-season (interrupted only by the city-wide shindig known
as AthFest) with a chaotic bang. "It's the end of the summer,"
says Wiggs. "It's hot as hell, and there's not much going on,
especially before everyone comes back and football season
starts. It's kind of the last little thing for people who stick
around all summer and want to hang out."
SlopFest isn't merely a musical event, as Wiggs explains:
"Last year, [Jeremy Dyson, Wiggs' friend] came into a projec
tor the week of, and orojected pieces of movies he had strung
together, all while bands were playing. Some people wound up
sticking around just watching his selections of movies... He
syncs some stuff up with bands, but he recently started playing
with Cars Can Be Blue, so there will probably something real
sick going on while they're playing."
Wiggs hopes that this year's attendees will remember
SlopFest as something "fun and balanced," he says. "They'll
get '.o see a lot of bands, inside and outside... If you don't like
who's playing, you can just walk inside, and someone will be
playing some records, and before you know it, something else
you might like will be going on. You'll definitely get a chance
to experience a lot of different stuff."
Kevin Craig
SLOrFEST SCHEDULE
LITTLE KING5 5HUFFLE CLUB
THUR5
9:00 p.m.
Grape Soda.
Tendaberry.
FRIDA
6:00 p.m
6:30 p.m
7:00 p.m
7:30 p.m
8:00 p.m
8:30 p.m
9:00 p.m
9:30 p.m
10:00 p.m
10:30 p.m
11:00 p.m
11:30 p.m
12:00 a.m
12:30 a.m
1:00 a.m
1:30 a.m,
DAY JULY d 1
Dance Party Kick-off with DJ Mahogany,
Eureka California. Mr. Blank and
9
J
Y july a a
. Ye Ole Sub Shoppe
. Danny the Looper
. shehehe
. Vespolina
. Cloud Becomes Your Hand
. Slaw n Order
. Serenghetto
. Ole Russ
. Rat Babies
. Fabulous Bird
. Burgerthirst
. Xavii
Antlered Aunt Lord
NEVER
Incendiaries
Manray
SATURDAY. .JULY 3
6:00 p.m. Danger Bucket
6:30 p.m. Sea of Dogs
7:00 p.m. D Charles Speer
7:30 p.m. Shepherds
8:00 p.m. Cold Ones
8:30 p.m v Manger
9-.00 p.m.\Hidden Spots
9.30 p.m. Little Master
10:00 p.m. Gnarx
10:30 p.m. Hollows
11:00 p.m. Cars Can Be Blue
11:30 p.m. Dark Rides
12:00 a.m. Wade Boggs
12:30 a.m. Shaved Christ
1:00 a.m. Dead Dog
1:30 a.m. Future Virgins
Schedule is subject to change, as is the nature of sloppy events.
j
14 FLAGPOLE.COM JULY 20, 2011
LAURA O'LEARY MYERS
