Inaugural Dog Days Fest kicks off three days of summer jams in Starland District
“ITS THE END TIMES ITS THE GOOD TIMES”
After 10 months of meticulous planning, the inaugural Dog Days Fest! is finally upon us. Organized by Dog Days Presents (the indie booking organization formed by Kyle Brown of Reverend Bro Diddley and the Hips, and Chipper Bones), Dog Days Fest is a three-day summer music festival featuring indie, punk, rock and roll, and country artists from across the country (and overseas).
Brown has booked more than 60 shows in Savannah in the last three years, and Dog Days Fest seems to be the culmination of all of his hard work and experience. Of course, booking a multi-day, multi-venue festival has it’s own unique challenges.
“I am only one person and this involves a different type of management where things will be happening I won’t even be, and I’ve never experienced that,” said Brown. “I’ve always been on-site, but sometimes there will be four shows at once.”
Prison Affair, Deeper, Dougie Poole and more
Dog Days Fest will be split between El Rocko Lounge, Over Yonder, Late Air, and Starland Yard. Dog Days is building a “unique” stage in the backlot of Starland Yard and that particular venue will be all-ages, so families are encouraged to bring their children.
“It’s kind of designed with SCAD graduation in mind,” explained Brown. “I want people to show up early and have fun. It mirrors Shaky Knees in a way where you have a pretty big act at 4 o’clock. I don’t want people to have this big day and then not make it. I worry about people’s fatigue and having too much fun. You want people to see the bands.”
One of the highly anticipated, unofficial headliners of Dog Days Fest is Prison Affair from Barcelona, Spain. Prison Affair is an egg punk band, a sub-genre that combines the weird hyperactive energy of DEVO with more hard-core punk. They have been described by the press as having “mutant Chuck Berry licks with hypnotic bass and drum grooves.”
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“Their sound is so unique and interesting,” said Brown. “It’s fast and compressed and fun. There’s this whole wave of egg punk and proto-punk and it’s international.”
Despite a language barrier, Brown reached out to Prison Affair via email and offered to book the band on their first U.S. tour if they would perform at Dog Days Fest. Now the punk Spaniards are ripping across Florida, playing for hundreds of fans, and making their way toward Savannah.
Other bands on the festival line-up include Deeper, from Chicago, who are are Stopover alums, and have angular Cure-like vibes. BNNY, also from Chicago, play soft-grunge dream pop. Video Age, from New Orleans, are known for their catchy singles and hooks.
“They’re like a hi-fidelity indie funk band that writes like Hall & Oates,” said Brown.
Sick Thoughts, also from New Orleans, play thrashy rock and roll, while Knifeplay are part of Philadelphia’s burgeoning shoegaze scene. Constant Smiles are an indie-folk collective that recently released an album on the Sacred Bones record label.
Neo-Country music will also be represented at Dog Days Fest by Nashville’s Teddy & The Rough Riders, and Dougie Poole, who will be joined by Savannah all-star country band Intracoastal Playboys.
'When you hear music in the streets of Starland, you try to seek it out'
The rest of the line-up includes local bands and some Dog Days alumni like Heffner, Basically Nancy, Coma Therapy, Low Town, Consumables, Foyer Red, The Simplicity, Kola Hack, Jus B, Black Water Choir, Anna Kellam, Nosebleeeeed, Protozoan, The Sporrs, Bud Green, and Western Funeral Company. The Reverend Bro Diddley family will also be well represented by Chipper Bones, Black Hat, and Jalen Reyes.
Tickets and a festival schedule are available on dogdayspresents.com, as well as a Spotify playlist featuring all of the bands. Single venue tickets for El Rocko and Over Yonder can be purchased at the door, but Starland Yard will require a full festival pass. VIP tickets include 10% off at the Starland Yard bar, access to a VIP-only bar, and a VIP merch bag.
Brown insists that it’s “imperative” that everyone purchase their tickets early as ticket lines on the day of the fest are assuredly going to be long.
Dog Days Fest promises to be a rockin’ addition to the summer music festival schedule, and will most certainly become a beloved annual event in Savannah. Anticipation for the stacked festival line-up couldn’t be higher.
“When you hear music in the streets of Starland, you try to seek it out, so it will be cool,” Brown continued. “If I were a pedestrian walking down Bull Street and heard Sick Thoughts, I’d be like, ‘What’s going on!?’ It’s funny to see all of these bands from Chicago and New Orleans and their tours are starting to happen, and I’m like, ‘Wow, everyone is getting closer and closer for this weird little show I’m putting on.’ It’s very cool.”
If You Go >>
What: Dog Days Fest!
When: June 2-4
Where: Starland Yard, 2411 De Soto Ave.
El Rocko Lounge, 117 Whitaker St.
Over Yonder, 2424 Abercorn St.
Late Air, 2805 Bull St.
Cost: $20-160
Info: dogdayspresents.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Inaugural Dog Days Fest brings three days of summer jams to Starland
