Austin, Texas will be the place to be for fans of 1980s hardcore punk this November, as the city will be the locale for a reunion show by legendary punkers The Descendents. The band will see full reunification at this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, which takes place November 5, 6, and 7 at Waterloo Park in Austin. The original members haven’t played together since lead singer Milo Aukerman went back to his lab work in 2004, or thereabouts, as much as I can guess. Oh, wait, the press release says a decade, so I guess it’s a decade ago that all the original members played as a band! Wow, a decade ago I didn’t even know that The Descendents still made music at all!
Regardless, the band will be playing the Sunday headlining spot, which was previously occupied by Devo, who had to cancel the show, quoting, “We don’t like Texas,” a response which prompted Texas to say, “We don’t believe in this whole de-evolution idea,” and suddenly a new argument was born. Despite the arguments, plenty of other bands do like Texas and will be playing the festival.
These other bands include: Bostich + Fussible, Washed Out, The Antlers, Cults, “Weird Al” Yankovic, MGMT, Suicidal Tendencies, Mastodon, Slick Rick, Bad Religion, Capn’ Jazz, The Hold Steady, Devin the Dude, Dirty Projectors, RJD2, The Vandals, Gwar, Monotonix, and Pharoahe Monch, with plenty more included in the 80 (or more!) acts expected at the show.
Wait a minute. Did I just type “Weird Al” Yankovic? That’s awesome and I have a whole new headline: “Weird Al” Yankovic Still Plays Shows Despite General Public’s Continued Apathy and Non-Interest in Polka, Kid Midnight Still Buying All His Albums.
“I really can’t believe it,” says FFF Fest founder Graham Williams, presumably speaking about his monumental booking of “Weird Al,” “The Descendents were one of those bands on my dream list that I thought I would never get to book. A week ago, we had no idea what we were going to do, and now we couldn’t be more happy.” Oh, yes, The Descendents, this article is about the Descendents. Go see them, and “Weird Al” Yankovic, at this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas this November 5, 6, and 7.
• The Descendents: http://www.descendentsonline.com
• “Weird Al” Yankovic: http://www.weirdal.com
• Fun Fun Fun Fest: http://funfunfunfest.com
[Photo: Chapman Baheler]
