Friday, May 23

The first day of a three day hardcore fest always sets the tone for the days to come. The fest can either end up a room full of kids with their hands in their pockets or it can become a venue full of sweaty screaming maniacs piling on top of each other. The first day of Tacoma’s Rain Fest 2008 was very much the latter and proved a harbinger for a manic three-day ride.

Somewhere near 7pm, Tacoma grind metal kings Owen Hart took the stage at the Viaduct Venue and promptly beat the crowd with a huge stick of awesomeness while vocalist Timm Trust waved a huge white flag with Owen Hart written across it. Showing that it isn’t a band to take itself too seriously, though, Owen Hart opened up nearly every one of their brutal songs with a Master of Puppets-era Metallica intro.

In what was a major highlight of the evening, Seattle hardcore band Sinking Ships played its last official Northwest show. Vocalist Danny Hesketh was obviously highly emotional as dozens joined him on stage to express their gratitude for four years of hard work and hardcore.

Next up was Himsa, and while the Seattle group might seem like the odd-band-out at a mostly old school hardcore festival, its particular brand of guitar-shredding metal was enough to whip the crowd into a circle pitting frenzy. Of course, the old songs got a stronger response than the new, but such is true for every band that chooses to play a bunch of new songs that no one knows yet. Sweet to listen to, but you won’t get much of a response.

The night ended with two east coast bands with very different sounds, Outbreak and Verse. Maine’s Outbreak played a set of almost humorously hate-filled hardcore anthems (“Do me a favor fucking die so I don’t have to listen to you bitch and cry”) set the crowd off as they dived from the stage and piled on top of one another.

The final band of the evening, Verse, flew in from Rhode Island and made it a few hours before it took the stage. But there was not a touch of jet lag in the band’s performance as the members jammed out a full set of driving, mid-tempo hardcore that earned an emotional response from the crowd.

Saturday, May 24

Saturday was jam-packed from the beginning. In order to fit the entire bill on one day, the bands started on at 2pm. Things started to really pick up around 6pm when Seattle’s posi-core heroes Get the Most took the stage. The bands energetic sounds, taking cues from ’80s hardcore prototypes Youth of Today and Bold, was enough to get the crowd moving. From the start it was nothing but stagedives and sing-alongs, setting the mood for the bands to come.

From 6pm on, the venue was packed. Among the most outspoken of the night was Paint it Black, a melodic hardcore band from Philadelphia, Penn. Vocalist Dan Yemin wasn’t afraid to vocalize just exactly what was on his mind. In one particular instance, Yemin spouted off about his disgust for Christian hardcore. But the band kept the kids moving, and by the end of the set, bodies were emerging from the pit sweaty, tired and bruised.

By far, the wildest set award of the night has to go to Trash Talk. Originally from Sacramento, Calif., Trash Talk has been touring nonstop for the past three years, and it showed. The band broke down any possible remnants of a make believe barrier between the band and the crowd by inciting dozens to launch from the stage headfirst. The band raged through a quick set of 45 second to 1 minute sonic blasts full of disgust.

The final band to take the stage was Cleveland’s very own Ringworm. Things started to get a little wild as the pit opened up for eight to ten individuals who knew all the rights moments to swing their fists. In what must have been about an hour, Ringworm proved why they are regarded as hardcore legends with their wild brand of hardcore that blends in metal seamlessly.

Right before Trash Talk and Ringworm were about to take the stage, Seattle Sound caught up with Himsa vocalist John Pettibone to chat a little bit about the fest so far.

Seattle Sound: How do you think Rain Fest has been going so far?
John Pettibone: It’s a huge success so far. It’s awesome that a lot of old bands and a lot of young bands are playing together. The age variety here is insane. I think it’s fucking rad because, being one of the older guys that has been around a long time, we never had older guys to look up to that had stuck around. So it’s kind of rad to see old friends that are all hanging out and people that have moved back. I met a lot of cool new kids, kids that would probably never have gone to see Himsa before, but saw us last night and were stoked. If I see a kid who comes up to me in a Chain of Strength shirt and says he liked us, I’m stoked. For Himsa to play, it was an honor. It’s great to be a part of this thing, it’s something I’ve always strived for, especially with the band. The band, well we do get some crazy tours, but when it comes down to it, this is what we are. To be a part of it and not just a spectator, it’s fucking phenomenal. I hope they continue this year after year. The Viaduct, well this is my first time here, I think this is what the Northwest has needed for years and years and years. It’s kids running it for the kids. It’s fucking amazing. I wish I could’ve found a place like this to keep something going. It’s great.

SS: Obviously you’ve been around for a while. How is it to see the Northwest scene, which was a lot smaller even a couple years back, with its own three-day hardcore fest?
JP: It’s amazing. I never thought something like this would happen. It just shows the growth from the early ’90s to now. What’s cool is there are people here from the early ’90s, people that were there then and are here now; dudes from Trial and other friends that have been around for awhile. They are just coming in and raging with the youngsters. This is what matters now, this community. I haven’t seen any fights yet, knock on wood. I’m glad that kind of negative animosity has cleared the air, because the Northwest has never had a scene like that. It’s pretty brutal to see friends fight friends.

SS: What’s been the highlight for you so far?
JP: I was stoked on Pressure, especially the Integrity cover, I fucking cut my leg open when I got my mosh in for a song. Yesterday, They Come in Swarms, I really like that band, those dudes are fucking awesome. I like how they started off the whole fest. That band Outbreak that played yesterday, I was into them when they played with Champion. I was very impressed with them. They were just all-out balls to the wall, they were fucking great. My highlight is Ringworm. That is one of the two bands that made me get into hardcore and sing in a band.

SS: What do you expect to happen during the Ringworm set?
JP: I expect to get hurt. I expect to go wild and lose my shit.

Sunday, May 25

Day three of Rain Fest could have been advertised as the Northern California invasion, as many of the headliners were from the bay area and its surrounding cities. Fresh off their Deathwish Inc. debut LP Runaways, Nor Cal band Life Long Tragedy shook things up a bit, but not nearly as much as their southern California allies Dangers, who, at one point, had what seemed to be every single member of the crowd piled on stage singing the line “The kids, the kids, the kids, the kids, by the fucking kids. The kids, the kids, the kids, the kids, for the fucking kids.”

Despite the somewhat meager draw that Connecticut band Hostage Calm garnered during their mid-afternoon set, the five-piece proved that the best music doesn’t always come in the most fancy packaging. This totally average-dude looking band played a tight set of melody-packed jams that brought to mind bands such as Silent Majority and Fastbreak. Not ringing a bell? Well, they covered the Descendents, so maybe that draws a simpler picture.

One of the definite highlights of day three was the reunion of short-lived Tacoma hardcore band Barricade. This band, which had been defunct for exactly two years that day, wrote short and fast hardcore songs with some of the most pissed off lyrics you will ever read. “You will fucking die in your sleep.” I rest my case.

The band picked up right where they left off two years prior. Vocalist Ben Wilson dedicated the set to all the Northwest hardcore bands that inspired him throughout the years; Trial, Champion, Dragline and a whole slew of others. The band’s small-yet-loyal fan base screamed the lyrics at the top of their lungs as they moshed across the stage and into the arms of unexpected onlookers.

Finally, the band that finished off the night, and the entire three-day fest, was none other than the Bay Area’s own Ceremony. Much like many of the bands before them, Ceremony plays 30-second-to-one-minute jams at a breakneck speed. Vocalist Ross Farrar was a wild man, wrapping the microphone chord around his neck and diving into the crowd feet first with arms swinging.

When the crowd left the stage and the bands unplugged, it was pretty obvious that Rain Fest was a complete success. No fights or cancelled sets, no drama, all fun. With a short budget and a dedicated group of volunteers, the Viaduct Venue showed that during Memorial Day weekend, the northwest music scene has more to offer than overpriced beer, indie-rock and sunburns.

For more on Rain Fest, click here.  For more on Viaduct, click here.

PHOTO:  Crucified at Rain Fest 2008. This and all other Rain Fest photos by David Kasnic.