Wallflower Music: Local Music Gives me Hope in Fascist America

A reflection after attending Punkz Productions’ All Femme Festival

On Saturday, March 14th, I spent my evening at Frets Music, which is located in Riverside, CA, at their All Femme Mini Fest. This was organized by Punkz Productionz, who planned the event with seven femme-fronted bands in honor of International Women’s History Month. I went to this event mainly to see Honk!, a band I’d been dying to see for a few months now, but was also excited for the chance to be exposed to several other bands that are native to Socal.

I cannot stress how incredible this event was. Not only were each of the bands super entertaining, but I was deeply moved by the welcoming and encouraging attitudes of both the performers and audience members. I have loved every local show that I have attended so far, but the All Femme Mini Fest stands out as one of the most impactful concerts I have attended. The beautiful music, opportunities to support local businesses, and all the new friendships I made at this event gave me a new sense of hope for the future that I haven’t felt in a long time.

The Beauty of Live Music

This isn’t an album review, so I won’t break down about each artist in detail. To me, live music is less about technical ability and instead a chance to use their music as a medium to connect with a live audience. All seven of the bands performing at the Femme Festival not only showed great musical talent and technical skill, but also achieved this connection with the festival’s attendees. Every band did an incredible job of engaging with the audience so that each set was super entertaining and fun to watch, even if I hadn’t heard their music before. On top of carrying out memorable performances, the bands used their time onstage as opportunities to speak out about issues that they were passionate about. For instance, the band, Los Houndstooth called for greater inclusion of femme-led bands and femme artists at music festivals, rejecting the misogynistic discrimination that is commonly seen with festival line-ups. Even if these ideas are present in their music, a band speaking live about something they’re passionate about makes their music exponentially more impactful. You feel the passion and emotion that is poured from the bands’ words directly into their music, fueling a powerful performance that the audience becomes part of too.

I had an absolute blast watching every single band, and I felt so immersed in the huge range of musical expression, creative vision and artistry that overtook the space the entire night.

(Porkboii)

(Lunavine)

(Surf Dracula)

(Honk!)

Giving Money to Actual People, Not Corporations

The event provided a perfect opportunity to support various businesses that are local to Southern California.

The venue itself was the setting of a local music store by the name of Frets Music. I’ve heard of this store before, mainly because it has been used as a venue for other live events that have popped up on my social media feed. However, it was my first time there, and I was really looking forward to seeing Frets after witnessing the hype that it regularly receives.

Located in Riverside, Frets is more than “just” a music store. Frets Music sells a wide variety of different instruments, musical equipment, and services for honestly super affordable pricing. After observing what Frets offers in between sets, I decided I would definitely return in the future to fix up my guitar that I’ve let go unmaintained for the past several years. Outside of just being a music store though, Frets is frequently transformed into a hub for local bands to hone their craft and share their music with local concert-goers. The store offers rehearsal spaces for bands to practice (that are so insanely well-insulated, you literally cannot hear the bands playing inside the practice rooms, I don’t know how they achieved this), as well as a stage during evening shows and other special events. Frets Music is more than just a commercial space, instead succeeding in being the illustrious “third space” that is greatly sought out by people looking for places to hang out and connect with their community. If you live in Southern California, I highly recommend stopping by Frets Music, either for their goods/services or for a show, if you want to support and be directly involved with the music scene that exists here.

The vendor I was most excited to check out was a coffee cart by the name of Riparian Coffee. They’d been present before at different house shows I’ve been to (I tried a small drink at the Paper Cutouts’ My Indie Valentine show), but I was really looking forward to trying something from their usual menu. First of all, the cart is run by the literal nicest people ever. I went to this show alone, with the hopes of making new friends, and my favorite conversation of the night was probably with Noah from Riparian Coffee and other concert-goers who were buying coffee at the same time as me. The vibe of Riparian Coffee is so positive and welcoming, which helped me forget that I was there alone and instead feel included in the space. Talking with Noah helped me to learn that Riparian Coffee’s beans are all locally sourced and their syrups are homemade. It’s evident how much the Riparian Coffee Cart cares about what they brew, making a beverage that’s so extremely commodified in the hypercapitalistic world of evil coffee chains, instead feel like the artistic craft that coffee brewing is meant to feel like.

Speaking of their coffee, the coffee is fucking unbelievable in the best imaginable way. I ordered the “Glorbo Bathwater” (named after the band, Glorbo), which was Baja Blast mixed with espresso and squeezed lime. It sounds ridiculous in concept (which was a huge reason why I wanted to try it), but the only ridiculous thing about it is how ridiculously delicious it tasted. As I first tried it, I was hit with the sweet citrus flavor of the Baja Blast, which was then followed by the rich flavor of espresso. Two things that sound bizarre together are actually a genius combination. I still have dreams about the Glorbo Bathwater now. Since this festival, I’ve been regularly keeping up with Riparian Coffee Cart’s instagram in the hopes that I’d be available to attend a show they’d be working at, purely to try more of their menu…and a few more orders of Glorbo Bathwater.

Another cool vendor that was present was Lin’s Crafters! This vendor was selling exclusively crocheted goods, which were all soooo cutie and so well-made! I couldn’t help but to buy a little spherical frog for my girlfriend, and was surprised to find that it was only $10. I easily would have paid up to double for the item (especially since everything is hand-made!), but I really appreciated the affordable pricing that was present. I hope to see Lin’s Crafters at upcoming events and support the goods that are clearly made with great skill and love.

In between sets, the performing bands also sold their merch, both inside and outside the store. I personally made sure to stop by and buy a t-shirt from Honk! (that I totally am not wearing now as I write this). I was ecstatic to support a band that I enjoy, knowing that my money is going directly to their future endeavors. It felt a lot more cathartic than anytime I’ve ever purchased merchandise from a larger artist. Sure, that helps those artists too, but it feels a lot better to give my money to someone who I can directly speak with and monetarily show appreciation for.

Every dollar that I spent at the Femme Festival felt like it was used well and I’m looking forward to the next time I can support these wonderful businesses!

Finding Power and Hope in Community

The reason why I was so moved by this event to the point of writing about it is ultimately not because of the bands’ talent or the great coffee I enjoyed, but because of the immense emotion and connection I felt with my community.

As I mentioned before, I came to this event alone. I honestly really enjoy going to concerts by myself, and I wanted to use this festival as a chance to make new friends with people who are also passionate about SoCal music.

When I first arrived, I was super nervous to attend the show in feminine clothing and clown makeup (to support Honk!’s clown theming), especially as a trans man who, when expressing femininity, either usually gets me misgendered or looked at weirdly when I do pass. However, I felt so completely safe and comfortable the entire time I was at the festival. Throughout the night, I was surrounded by other queer and trans people, who made me feel completely accepted, both in mutual interaction and simple co-existence. There was not a single person who made me feel dysphoric, insecure, or anxious as I moved from conversation to conversation. For one of the first times ever, I felt a genuine sense of belonging (both as a feminine trans man and as a person altogether) that allowed me to relax and have such a good time.

I’m so grateful to all the friends I made at the Femme Festival, as well as the people I shared just a few words with, moshed with, or just passed by. Even though I came to the show by myself, I never felt alone in the company of Southern California’s coolest people. That’s the power of friendship and community in action.

I’ll wrap this up by recounting an impactful speech that the lead singer of Porkboii delivered before performing their song “Criminals,” which I still think about regularly. The lead singer began introducing the song by sharing how they love all kinds of people from different backgrounds, like criminals, degenerates, perverts, and heathens. I knew that they were introducing “Criminals,” so I was expecting this speech to immediately kick off the song. However, the lead singer continued, declaring how they love more and more people. They love immigrants. They love trans people. They love everyone who has been discriminated against and affected by the current administration in the White House. This love crescendoed into a defiant cry against the hateful cruelty that is being perpetrated against this nation’s people. Before transitioning into the song, the singer asked everyone to love one another and look after each other in the face of the widespread political, legislative, and social violence that has been hitting our communities. I was so blown away by the power of this speech. It took everything in me not to start sobbing hearing this, especially while watching the lead singer allow herself to cry and be vulnerable with such a large crowd. This is how change is made. People fight for change when they personally connect to a cause and become emotionally involved. This speech didn’t leave any room for people to feel unaffected or distant from the fascist reality that’s been going on in the United States under Donald Trump and ICE. Even though I already hated the actions of the United States, I’ve never felt more motivated to actively fight for the people who make up my home in SoCal. For the first time in a long time, I felt real, tangible hope that real change would be possible, and that love would triumph over the hatred that permeates through the United States’s ideology and actions. They want us to be alone and to fear those that are different. However, in that room, that fear was non-existent. The only thing that did exist was a radical love and acceptance that will never fade in the face of fascism.

Support All of These Cool Bands, Organizers, and Vendors!

I absolutely encourage anyone reading this to check out anyone I mentioned in this post. Below I will provide a list of each band that performed and their socials, as well as the socials for Punkz Productions, Frets Music, and each vendor. A huge thank you to everyone who helped organize or was involved with this event. I will forever remember this night and credit you all for further developing my love for SoCal’s music scene.

Supporting local artists and businesses allows for our local music scene to thrive, and trust me, it feels much better to give your money and time to real people trying to make their dreams a reality instead of greedy corporations that couldn’t give any sense of a fuck about you. If you’re sick of the direction that the world is going, let your money and time speak for you. Support your local music scene and go to local shows. Make friends from your own community. Dance and scream and mosh until you forget how hate feels and you can only remember joy and love.

Bands:

Porkboii

porkboii.com (This website links you to all of their socials and music!)

Lunavine

@lunavinemusic on Instagram

Surf Dracula

@surfdracula on instagram

lintr.ee/surfdracula

Cherïs

@cheris.111 on instagram (their Youtube, Apple Music, and Spotify are linked in their social media bio)

cheris.bandcamp.com

Honk!