The Fest 14

10 Bands To Listen To Before THE FEST 14! | Over 300 Bands in Gainesville, FL | October 30 – November 1, 2015

by • September 2, 2015

FEST!!!!! Seriously, I cannot describe how excited I am for Fest 14, invading Gainesville, FL from October 30 – November 1, 2015. This is only my second year going, but I have been preparing for this since November 2nd 2014. What I’ve wrote below is not quite a beginners guide, nor is it a list of tentative bands you must go see. Instead, this is a list of 10 bands that I think everyone going to Fest should just give a listen to before attending. It’s quite hard to narrow down to 10 from a list of over 300 bands, but I’ll try anyways. Here we go!

BUY TICKETS TO FEST HERE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT! (Only 3,750 passes are being sold!)

Andrew W.K.

The king of partying is probably one of the most exciting headliners that Fest has ever made. With song titles like “Party, Party, Party,” “Party ’til You Puke,” and “Party Hard,” you know this show is going to be as big and exciting. I’ve never had the privilege to see Mr. W.K. in person, but this Fest, I’ll be there, partying with everyone!

Watch our interview with Andrew W.K. Here!

The Menzingers

If you haven’t heard of this band, get off your ass; go to your nearest record store, and purchase On The Impossible Past. I think this is one of those perfect albums that come around only once or twice a decade.

A pure punk band out of Pennsylvania, these guys are one of my favorite newer acts. Their writing is so smart, and the music just takes you for a ride. Here’s an example of them being really cheeky, off their latest album:

Spraynard

I first heard this band when they released a split EP with another band on this list, Captain, We’re Sinking. A fantastic pop punk/emo band out of Penn, these guys just released their third album, Mable, and the sky’s the limit! I can’t wait to see them in late-August, opening for yet another guy on this list, Jeff Rosenstock.

BUY TICKETS TO FEST HERE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!

The Hotelier

These guys released my favorite album of 2014, Home, Like Noplace Is There. The Hotelier are masters of what they do. They mix quite a few different genres together, making it hard to explain what kind of music they produce. Whatever it is, all of it is amazing, different, and immersive.

Captain, We’re Sinking

This Pennsylvania band has written some of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard, but they are so artfully crafted, I cannot help but keep listening over and over again. Captain, We’re Sinking helped get me out of a really terrible spot a few years ago, and being able to see them twice last Fest really cemented them in my list of favorites. I really am excited to see them again, and hopefully, they’ll have a few new songs for me to want to cry to.

Jeff Rosenstock/Antarctigo Vespucci

One of the biggest names in DIY music, Jeff Rosenstock, has headed two of the greatest punk/ska bands to ever exist: The Arrogant Sons of Bitches and Bomb the Music Industry! At Fest, he is going to be playing both a solo set and a set with his new project, Antarctigo Vespucci. Last year, I saw AV instead of freezing my balls off to barely see The Descendants. I know I got the better end of that deal. Total energy, a lot of attitude, and great music all around!

BUY TICKETS TO FEST HERE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!

Masked Intruder

Four guys in colored masks singing about being criminals, stalking girls (but not in a creepy way) and just wanting to have some fun(?). Sign me up! Masked Intruder is a band I’ve been listening to for a couple of years,and is yet another band I finally got to see last year at Fest. With a sound between old school Green Day and really old school doo wop, a live show that involves a big guy dressed as a cop crowd-surfing, and even a cover of NOFX’s “Linoleum,” you won’t have more fun anywhere else!

We Are The Union

What punk festival would be complete without an amazing ska band? Well, Fest got one of the best in We Are The Union. I caught of bit of their set last year and almost want to say I had more fun seeing them than Less than Jake. I know! Blasphemy! But still, these guys definitely bring the ska vibes to pop punk sound. Don’t miss out on the dance party!

Pianos Become The Teeth

If you are looking for something a little bit different than the punk, pop punk, and hardcore usually heard at Fest, PBTT is your go to band. PBTT is a part of “The Wave” genre of melodic hardcore music that incorporates elements of spoken word, emo, and post-rock/post-punk. Where their older stuff is more on the hardcore side, their newest album, Keep You, having no screamed vocals, is much softer, but still very powerful music. Check out both styles!

The World Is A Beautiful Place, and I am No Longer Afraid to Die

With one of the longest names in the scene, TWIABP is a beautiful band of amazing people who put on one of the best shows I have ever seen. Boasting sounds of post-rock, emo, spoken word, and indie rock, the band has the ability to take you on a musical journey like you have never heard before. I don’t even know how to describe what it’s like to see this band, but I do know that you will leave changed for the better.

Also, be sure to check out PRE-FEST in little Ybor (Tampa) from October 28 – 29, 2015. There’s even a combo package which includes 5 days of FEST (Pre-Fest + Fest).

BUY TICKETS TO FEST HERE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!

THE FEST 14 by Garrett East edited by Matthew Weller. 

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