Sunday, July 29th, 2001 - Buzzfest 2001 - Downtown Lancaster - 30 West, Dead Leaves, Next of Kin, Poptart Monkeys, Negative Space, Martini Bros. & The Clarks

Sunday, July 29th, 2001
Buzzfest 2001
Downtown Lancaster
30 West, Dead Leaves, Next of Kin, Poptart Monkeys, Negative Space, Martini Bros. & The Clarks

www.30-west.com
www.deadleaves.com
www.listen.to/nok
www.poptartmonkeys.com
www.negativespacerocks.com
www.martinibros.com
www.clarksonline.com

After watching Weekend Outlook on the Weather Channel and finishing up an anti-rain dance, I headed off to Lancaster Square with my dad for Buzzfest. Melanie couldn't come along because she was going on vacation, so it was just my dad and I. Rain poured during the whole forty-five minutes it took to drive to Lancaster, but 105.7 the X had announced that Buzzfest was not going to be rained out yet again. We arrived during Next of Kin's set, so we missed out on 30 West and Dead Leaves, but there were still many bands to see.

I ran into most of the Negative Space band members and for some reason Todd and I were entranced while a cute cocker spaniel did its business on the concrete…don't ask. Melanie and I had seen Next of Kin at Tweeter's before, so when I heard them perform "Favorite Song" the tune rang a bell. I headed up the stairs to see where my dad was wandering around and I found him talking to Josh and some of the other Negative Space lads. He was showing them my drawing I scanned and printed out of Deuce Gibb (Martini Bros. singer/guitarist) to give him when I saw him later, and they thought it was cool…I was still quite embarrassed that he showed them, but oh well. That's what I did during my recent 20+ hour car ride experience to Florida…drew my favorite local rock stars (sad, but true)! We walked around upstairs for a while, to get a better view of the crowd of mostly teenagers who were enjoying the music. They were running into each other and definitely entertaining a lot of the crowd. Next of Kin soon gave the stage up to the Poptart Monkeys.

I had only seen these guys once before at the Toys for Tots benefit at the Hilton around Christmastime, and they have definitely improved since then. It was cool to hear that they would be performing with Blink 182 and other great bands at the Warped Tour in Pittsburgh on August 2nd. They played a large amount of covers as well as originals, including their new one "Wrecking Ball" which I enjoyed. They put together a cover medley and I was extremely happy to hear their version of "It's the End of the World" by R.E.M…which sadly I know all of the words to. The crowd surfers and the immense pit o' moshers were also definitely enjoying their set. There was also a little boy who was rocking out on a small guitar signed by some of the band members. He seemed like a genuine Poptart Monkeys fan and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of him (with a little tempting by Roadie Rob, who also got his picture taken!). The Poptart Monkeys are currently ranking in at fourth place in the Rockstar2k contest, where the grand prize is a MCA record deal, so be sure to vote for them at www.rockstar2k.com.

Negative Space began getting ready on the stage, as the crowd (mostly teenage girls) grew steadily (I know, I know, I'm a teenage girl too). I didn't feel like getting bumped into by people, so I stayed off towards the side of the stage where I had a better view than I would have in the crowd anyway. The crowd went wild when the band demanded everyone to raise their devil horns, and the crowd surfing soon took place. The set was full of covers and originals both, as well as an amazing brand new original called "Monster" (I hope I got the title right). Some of their originals included "Just be," Unititled," "Dirty," "Anthem," and "She Makes Me." The Notorious T.O.D amused everyone with his Shaggy act, Mark amazed us all with his quick arm improvement (the poor guy had a wee accident involving a rope, 15 feet, and very pointy rocks), Josh stole the hearts of many gals in the crowd, Stu thrashed out on his electric guitar, and Sean was not easily forgotten as he beat the drum kit like no other. Rob is not to be forgotten! He should definitely be recognized for his hard work running around on the stage the whole day. Jim from hbgonline.com was also out and about video taping bands and taking pictures, so it was good to see him once again. Jim (so many Jim's!) from PARocks was video taping as well, and John Harris was also there to show his support for the Martini Bros.

Speaking of the Martini Bros., I couldn't wait for them to go on. Earlier my dad and I gave Deuce my drawing of him and he seemed to like it, so I wasn't too horribly embarrassed by it. We talked to him for a little while and it dawned on me that Mike no longer had his brown mohawk, but had changed it once again to a shorter blonde look…you never know what to expect with him! I found a spot in the front of the stage near some younger kids (Deuce's very cool son being one of them) and I watched as they tested out their bubble machine and sound. Although the crowd died down some (in comparison to the amount of people Negative Space drew in) there was still a large group of people there to see the Bros. Some of the teenage guys up front had "Get Your Wheels Shined Up" Martini Bros. shirts, so I was happy to see some more fans there. The set started and they were pouring out originals like "Spinning on an Axis," "Nightmare Party on Wheels," "Strychnine," and a crowd favorite "Get Your Wheels Shined Up." They threw in a few covers such as "Bird" and "Ace of Spades" to show us all that old covers rock just as much as the new ones, if not more. At one point, Mike jumped onto Rej's drum set and then stumbled over past Deuce and would've fallen off the stage if roadie/fellow musician Scott Keck hadn't stopped him and saved the day. Phew. After their awesome set I ventured over towards Tina to "awwww!!!" at her and Mike's new baby boy (Cruz). He'll have the toddler chicks crawling to him in no time. Meanwhile, Deuce's 7 year-old-son was hitting the railings with Rej's drumsticks. Deuce said he was learning to play drums, and it already looked like his musical talent was shining through. I wasn't the only one in awe of his skills, Sean (Negative Space) and James (Poptart Monkeys) were also impressed, as well as some of the Dead Leaves members.

Once again the crowd was piling up and 105.7 the X's Nixon took the stage before The Clarks would grab our attention. A prize giveaway was being raffled off, and my dad and I realized that we both totally forgot to get tickets for a chance to win the electric guitar that was autographed by all of the bands (doh!), but it was cool to see it being handed off to a random crowd member. National recording artists, The Clarks gave us all a set full of notable and impressive originals. Who didn't sing along to "Chasin' Girls"…anyone? That's such an addictive little tune! I had just seen some of their performance at the Gullifty's show two days earlier, but it was nice to hear more of their distinct originals and it was definitely a nicer, less confined atmosphere. Nearing the end of their set, my dad was saying that he wanted to steal my sweater because of how cold it had gotten (next time I'll have to bundle him up in mittens and earmuffs I guess), so even though he was enjoying the music he was also becoming a bit anxious to leave. They closed the show off with a somehow appropriate grand finale of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." After telling Mark (who deserves major credit for organizing Buzzfest) that I had an awesome time, my dad and I headed back home on the dry roads to Harrisburg.

As much as it seemed like Buzzfest was all about the music, it really wasn't. All of the money and hard work went to Camp Can-Do. Maverick Productions put out an amazing Buzzfest 2001 CD and had some awesome sponsors (105.7 the X, Unsung Hero, and Harley Davidson to name a few). Everyone seemed to be having a great time…whether they were crowd surfing, skate boarding, doing impressive tricks on their bikes, eating french fries, or just there to enjoy the atmosphere (despite how rainy it was at times), everyone experienced an unforgettable Sunday.