Pardon my geographic ignorance, but I’ve never even fucking heard of LaFayette, Ga. — a northwest Peach State town on the outskirts of Chattanooga, situated square in the Tennessee-Alabama armpit. But I’ve definitely heard of and heard (a lot): Atlanta’s Bad News Bears of debauched garage-rock revival, Black Lips; recently resurrected former Runaways frontwoman turned
chainsaw artistCherie Currie (like seriously,
she carves sculptures with a fucking chainsaw!); and proto-thrash-hippie space-rock pioneer Nik Turner, who’s currently touring with a modern incarnation of Hawkwind.
Those counter-culture, rock ’n’ roll-to-the-bone notables top the lineup for full-time NYC party punker Andy Animal’s inaugural Meltasia Festival — a three-day camping and garage-rock, punk, psych, metal, bounce, etc. festival going down Sept. 5-7 on a 270-acre farm in Lafayette, Ga., which, as you now know, is kinda near Chattanooga or something.
Lots of really fucking good bands are on this bill. Bands like Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Bloodshot Bill, Biters, Shannon and the Clams, The Coathangers, Gringo Star, Liquor Store, Turf War, doom titans Witch Mountain and bounce-rap badass Vockah Redu.
On the Nashville tip, local faves the likes of Cheap Time, JP5, Cy Barkley and the Way Outsiders and Birdcloud are on the bill as well. Also, Black Oak Arkansas is playing, which is super boner-raising if your name is, say, Tex, or Buck, or Bo … or Sean Maloney.
I thought I was spent on music festivals for 2014, but this Garage-Rock Gathering of the Juggalos is relatively close and sounds super fun, amirite? Here, check out the GoTJ-style Meltasia trailer hosted by regular ol’ Dean and Jerrys Dinos Boys singer-guitarist Chase Tail and Black Linen drummer Pietro DiGennaro:
Three-day passes are a pretty reasonable $125, and you can purchase yours
right here.
