Alfred Stewart
May 25, 2007Yvonne Knudsen- Smith
June 1, 2007
Twelve bands are coming to thrash Houma for the first annual Punk-A-Thon.
Jake Cenac and Corey Bergeron are the duo behind the event with their production company, Houma Rock City. They also play bass and guitar, respectively, in their band Speed of Sound, which will be performing at Punk-A-Thon.
“We’ve always wanted to do something like this,” said Bergeron.
Cenac agreed.
“I’m doing it, because I’m into entertainment in general. I’ve always wanted to perform. I’ve always wanted to put on shows,” he said.
Punk-A-Thon will feature Johnny on Coke, Kiss the Cop, Starscream’s Revenge, No Fuego, Kobayashi Maru, 6 Pack Deep, Outplay, Fuego, ONO!, Death to Juliet, justinbailey and, of course, Speed of Sound.
“It’s a really good collective, a lot of the area’s better bands,” said Bergeron. “It’s all about having good music come down here.”
The outdoor event begins at noon on Saturday, June 9 and takes place at the Brickhouse Tavern on Main Street. The tickets costs $15 and the show is open to all ages.
Cenac and Bergeron were quick to credit the Brickhouse Tavern owner, Kendall Brunet, for his support of the event.
“It’s a small rock show in small proportions, but we’re hoping enough people come out to where it’ll turn into something bigger than it was ever really supposed to be,” said Cenac.
justinbailey drummer Travis Mason said he can’t wait to play Punk-A-Thon.
“It’s going to be off the hook,” said Mason.
Mason also said he would absolutely want to play more festivals and events like Punk-A-Thon in the future.
Andy Clancy, who plays rhythm guitar for Starscream’s Revenge, said Punk-A-Thon is going to be his band’s first really big show.
“This is going to be the highlight of the year for us,” said Clancy.
Like Clancy the other band members from Punk-A-Thon’s 12 band lineup are perhaps as psyched up about Punk-A-Thon as Houma’s punk fans due to the bands performing know each other and have built friendships over the years of performing.
“That’s what’s kind of cool about it, is just in the past year, or even two years, we didn’t even know that many punk bands around here. We literally didn’t. We were the only punk band we knew of that was playing still,” said Cenac. “We’ve all tried to meet each other.”
Clancy said he and his band met Cenac and Bergeron during a show at North Gate Tavern in Baton Rouge, where his band performed with Speed of Sound, Outplay and No Fuego.
Though the band is from Baton Rouge, Starscream’s Revenge has played at the Brickhouse Tavern before and has an established fan base in Houma.
Mason, too, mentioned the fact he couldn’t wait to perform with his friends from other bands at Punk-A-Thon.
Cenac, Bergeron and the bands performing are doing all they can to sweeten the pot with $15 Punk-A-Thon ticket buys.
Besides hearing 12 bands for about three-quarters the cost of a usual three band, $5 cover charge performance, Punk-A-Thon-goers can also expect to get a crack at some door prizes, if they arrive early enough, and raffle prizes.
The raffle prizes will consist of CDs, T-shirts, stickers and hats. The door prizes haven’t been chosen, yet. All the prizes will be provided by the bands themselves.
“With all the punk bands that are playing, it’s going to be well worth it,” said Mason.
The bands will play 45-minute sets on a double stage. So, there shouldn’t be any downtime waiting for a new band to set up.
“If we don’t make money on it and a lot of people still show up, then I don’t care,” said Cenac. “I just want people to come and rock out.”
The event should run to about 9 p.m. or later, but the fun doesn’t stop there.
There will also be an 18-plus show inside the Brickhouse Tavern at 10:30 p.m., where No Fuego, Kiss a Cop and 6 Pack Deep will perform.
Local and not-so-local vendors are expected to be on hand to demo their products and provide services. These vendors will likely include skate shops, tattoo shops and paintball supply shops. Food vendors will likely be on hand, too.
But, the degree of vendor participation is still currently up in the air as information about Punk-A-Thon filters into the local community and beyond.
Punk-A-Thon could just be the first of more music events to come to Houma. Bergeron and Cenac both have said they want to put on more events in the future to help grow Houma’s local music scene.
Punk-A-Thon Bands
By BRIAN FONTENOT
Johnny on Coke (12-12:45 p.m.)
Based in Houma, Johnny on Coke describes themselves as being just another band doing what they do best, smoking Camels, jamming, watching zombie movies and having a good time.
Members include: Mike Plaisance (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Terrell Clark (bass), Adam Clement (drums, electronics) and Andrew Frost (drums).
Kiss the Cop (12:45-1:30 p.m.)
Kiss the Cop heralds from Biloxi, Miss., and formed in the fall of 2004. The band promises fans of bands like Black Sabbath, Incubus, Rush, Deftones, System of a Down and Led Zeppelin will love their sound.
Members include: Sam Harrison (guitar), Justin Boggs (drums) and Jake Figallo (bass).
Starscream’s Revenge (1:30-2:15 p.m.)
Baton Rouge band Starscream’s Revenge takes their name from lead singer Chris Hayes’ favorite Transformers character, Starscream, which Hayes also happens to have a tattoo of on his lower calf. Hayes classifies the band’s music as being “stoner punk.”
Members include: Chris Hayes (lead vocals, guitar), Andy Clancy (rhythm guitar), Jason Corley (drums) and Jerian Myers (lead guitar, vocals)
No Fuego (2:15-3 p.m.)
Claiming both the Capitol City and New Orleans as their home, No Fuego combines punk rock with bag pipes to create an “extraordinary” sound. The Celtic Society of Louisiana even supports the band by providing a practice room. The band has toured much of the Gulf South and hopes to see the rest of the country, taking over each state one drink at a time.
Members include: Ty Moore (drums), Patrick Holstein (vocals, guitar), Remy Barthe (vocals, guitar), Shawn Lee (vocals, guitar), Gregory Allen (vocals, bass) and Marshall Pounds (bagpipes).
Kobayashi Maru (3-3:45 p.m.)
Kobayashi Maru isn’t just Star Fleet Academy’s version of the no-win situation. It’s also a band from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The band describes themselves as a couple of guys putting all of their musical experiences together to create something meaningful. Their influences include such bands as Alkaline Trio, Queens of the Stone Age and Quicksand.
Members include: Scott Parker (vocals, guitar), Terry Laurent (drums) and Andrew Mire (bass).
6 Pack Deep (3:45-4:30 p.m.)
6 Pack Deep hails from the Capitol City and boasts a unique mixture of musical styles designed to “delight the senses of any true music lover.” 6PD employs a mix of ska, rock, punk, reggae and a little rap.
Members include: Lyle Robelot (vocals, trombone), Aaron “Fury” Triche (trumpet), Geoff “Spooner” Grice (trombone), Allen “Skank” Wheless (tenor sax), Brian Goad (guitar), Dusty Ballew (bass) and Jeff “J Time” Fountain (drums).
Speed of Sound (4:30-5:15 p.m.)
Hometown Houma band Speed of Sound combines a drummer with blazing hand speed and smooth punchy attack with what they describe to be a mix of heavy melodic rifts that ignite dark intricate sounds with powerful rolling bass lines that slam one’s stomach into knots. This is Speed of Sound.
Members include: Cory Bergeron (guitar), Jake Cenac (bass) and Jon Kelpsch (drums).
Outplay (5:15-6 p.m.)
Outplay is one of the many New Orleans bands displaced by Katrina with its members scattered around the country. Jake Cenac of Speed of Sound praised the band’s clean, professional sound and said he thought Outplay should be one of the biggest bands in America.
Members include Randy Bowers (vocals, guitar), David Womack (vocals, guitar), Dwayne Womack (vocals, drums) and Wes Fontenot (bass).
Fuego (6-6:45 p.m.)
Fuego proclaims, “This is fire so don’t get burned.” The band said it Super Glues punk, reggae, hip-hop, dancehall, metal and hardcore together into a groove-drenched, energy-injected sound.
Members include: Matt Macloud (bass), Sean Jung (drums), Derren Usry (vocals), Skruface The Don (vocals) and Oscar Avila (guitar).
ONO! (6:45-7:30 p.m.)
ONO! Formed from a group of high school friends from Shreveport back in 2001, each member brings his own influence to the overall sound of the band. And they said they are always looking to play shows so long as there’s beer.
Members include: Ross Aufrichtig (lead vocals, guitar), BJ Wang (back up vocals, bass), Chris Derosia (back up vocals, lead guitar) and Steve Emery (drums).
justinbailey (7:30-8:15 p.m.)
Baton Rouge band justinbailey derives its name from a secret password for the classic Nintendo game, Metroid. Their sound is a blend of styles ranging from punk to progressive rock.
Members include: Bradon McClain (vocals, guitar), Travis Mason (drums), Corey Aucutt (vocals, guitar) and Brian Domingue (vocals, bass).
Death to Juliet (8:15-9 p.m.)
Houma band Death to Juliet thinks it’s unusual to be equally influenced by groups like A Change of Pace, Bayside, From First to Last, Alkaline Trio and composers like Danny Elfman, Mozart and Beethoven. But, so is their sound which they describe as screeching from punk rock and death pop to a raw emotion of alternative sound crushing waves of perversion and rebellion into a great music experience.
Members include: Maverick Boudreaux (vocals, guitar), Preston Petit (bass/vocals) and Brad Hebert (drums).
