Gonerfest 20 Official Program Guide

Welcome to GONERFEST 20!

FESTIVAL NUMBER 20! Incredible!

We are so excited to have everyone back out for another four days of music and mayhem in Memphis. Whether it’s your first time or your twentieth, thank you for coming! We’ve got a wild assortment of sounds sure to make your eardrums happy and get your body in motion. Try to schedule some time to mix in some side trips to get barbecue, check out some Memphis landmarks, and hang out with friends both old and new.

As always, it’s the people that make Gonerfest special, the people in the audience and the people in the bands - often one in the same! Please treat the festival and your fellow guests with respect and follow CDC Guidelines. Let’s keep everyone’s safety and good times in mind, and we’ll have another great fest.

Thank you for coming to Gonerfest 20! Now let’s get to it! GET GONE!

GOLDEN PASS

ENTRY TO ALL GONERFEST EVENTS!

GOLDEN PASS TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT.

INCLUDED: A King Louie Tribue 7” in a Gonerfest tote bag, to carry all your Gonerfest merch & goodies. If you don’t get a tote bag + record when you get your wristband, you will receive a coupon for the bag- redeem the coupon at Goner Records or at the Goner Merch Table during the festival.

DAILY $60 / day

We have 50 tickets at the door each day.

When those are gone, we are sold out.

GONERFEST IS OPEN TO ALL AGES.

CHECK-IN!

We’ve got A LOT of people to check in!

PLEASE CHECK IN EARLY IF YOU CAN!

Come by the Goner shop to pick up your Golden Pass starting Wednesday, September 27.

And if you get your wristband early - do not take it off! You need that for access through Sunday.

CENTRAL STATION CHECK-IN PARTY: THURSDAY 2-4 PM

We are getting people set with wristbands at CENTRAL STATION LOBBY with DJ HOT TUB ERIC - Memphis’ own Eric Plumley -starting the fest off right DJing righteous tunes in the Hotel Lobby!

Please try to come by! Avoid long lines at Railgarten and check in early!

AFTERPARTIES

After the party... the afterparties!

Bars with other shows include DKDC, B-Side, Hi Tone, and the Lamplighter. Look for schedules or go by word of mouth- some amazing bands are only appearing at the afterparties, including Snooper, Cult Of Lip, AAAA New Memphis Legs, Curleys, D. Sablu, and tons more!

A big part of Gonerfests 1 through 16 was having visitors experience different venues around Memphis- The Hi Tone, Murphys, The Buccaneer, DKDC, and Memphis Made. Since Covid we’ve consolidated everything into one venue for the fest, but these afterparties can get you into different spaces and meeting different people. We appreciate the effort that being a live venue demands... thanks to everyone who’s doing it!

GONERFEST 20: streaming

We are again sharing our awesome lineup with all the people unable to come to Memphis to do this thing in person. The past few years’ streaming Gonerfest were huge, unexpected successes! Running an “IN REAL LIFE” and online festival at the same time presents a whole bunch of new challenges. We’ve planned for months, took what we learned last go-round, procured some of the Mid-South’s top talents, and we’re ready to present Gonerfest 20 online in a way that captures the fun without killing the vibe! $20 for four days of music is a great deal! See all your favorites in the comfort of your own couch! In your pajamas, if you want! Drunk off your ass in the middle of the afternoon if you so desire! Chatting with Gonerfesters from around the globe at the same time. Great!

The Gonerfest 20 Stream is included in your Gonerfest Golden Pass: others need to get a ticket!

Scan the QR Code here to get your ticket and hop right in the fun, or go check out Gonerfest.com for more info.

Besides the streaming fest we’ll have additional content from past fests, free movies, and more. It’s a great deal!.

Streams will remain up for one week so that people in different time zones can catch up… but the festival will not be available for people to watch after that. Don’t miss out! It’s a lot of fun!

RAILGARTEN

We are lucky to have access to a venue who can host our crowd this year outside, safely, and also can put up with all our nutty ideas. Hats off to you, Railgarten! Please be courteous of all servers and everyone helping out- these are long hard, probably hot days and we’re all in this together. We know Gonerfesters are great but we just wanted to make the point- these people are really busting their butts so we can have a great festival and we need to recognize it! Tipping encouraged!

TRANSPORTATION / PARKING

We recommend taking UBER, LYFT, or cabs to the venue. There is parking but it is limited. If businesses are open, please do not use their parking lots. There is also parking along Cooper. Don’t get towed. Be safe.

GONERFEST BEER

Beer and great music. You know it works! We’d like to thank our friends at MEMPHIS MADE for once again providing a special beer for Gonerfest 20, using the great graphics from Stacy Kiehl & Sara Moseley. Ask for 16 oz Golden Pass whereever fine beer is sold!

We can’t thank Memphis Made enough for all they do for us!

Go by their spot- right around the corner from Railgarten at 768 S Cooper St, Memphis, TN.

TAPROOM HOURS:

MONDAYS & TUESDAYS: CLOSED

WEDNESDAYS: 4-7 P.M.

THURSDAYS: 4-7 P.M.

FRIDAYS: 4-10 P.M.

SATURDAYS: 1-10 P.M.

SUNDAYS: 1-7 P.M.

You can grab a sixer or more at most of the liquor and grocery stores in town!

768 S Cooper St , Memphis , TN

TIPS ON GONERFESTING FROM FOLKS WHO HAVE GONERFESTED

from Gonerfest Vets on Facebook’s Budget Rock Group!

Zach Mitchell (Memphis, TN)

- Best BBQ is Cozy Corner or Payne’s. If you go to Cozy Corner get the Cornish game hen or the ribs!

- Shangri-la Records is our only other real record store. Not super Budget Rock oriented but worth stopping at if you’re in the area or have time on your way out.

- for tips: gonerfest is re-entry friendly so don’t be afraid to leave and come back if you’re staying close by. It gets hot out there (tho there is ample seating) and standing on the gravel for 3 days straight is tiring. The fest and after shows start on ACTUAL time not punk time, so don’t show up too late for anything you really care about. Railgarten is a funny venue but it’s very easy to see the stage from just about anywhere, including the seated areas to an extent. You’ll need to park in the street but there is usually a good deal of walkable street parking available if you get there at a reasonable time. Don’t pay for it lol.

Scott Bradfield (Jackson, MS)

As far as tips, the main thing is to stay hydrated and pace yourself if you are partaking in adult beverages. Memphis has potential to still be uncomfortably hot and humid in late September. The afterparties are great, you don’t want to burn out and miss them. Railgarten has a hard noise curfew, so they stay close to schedule and it helps get the afterparties started a bit earlier than they used to, but those still have the potential to go very late (the Saturday Hi-Tone show falls into this category, but will be worth it). My main tip other than that is bring comfortable, old shoes. Comfortable because there will be lots of standing and walking. Old because the gravel at Railgarten is dusty and the floors at the afterparties will be covered in sticky garbage goo the could probably be classified as a biohazard. I’ve actually made a tradition out of bringing one old pair of shoes I’m OK with never wearing again after the festival.

Ashton Kjelde (Nashville, TN)

Other non-afterparty notes:

-As everyone else has said…stay hydrated. It’s probably gonna be hot and if the past couple of years hold, there’s gonna be one day that’s just brutal. Sunscreen is a good idea.

-Don’t sleep on the smoked chicken wings at Railgarten.

-We learned the hard way our first year to look at the schedule early and plan for breaks/snack runs. It’s a marathon of a day between the full festival and anything going on before/after.

-MOST IMPORTANTLY: talk to people and make friends. There’s a reason I call this Rock & Roll Summer Camp - good people and good energy. We’ve only been for the last few years but already we’ve met so many people from across the country/world that are passionate about the same kinds of things we are.

Brian Cruse (Raleigh, NC)

Ballhoggerz BBQ. I’m serious.

GONERFEST SCHEDULE MASK $5

GONERFEST POSTER 5 COLORS HAND SCREENED $30

KOOZIES $3

SLIP MATS $10

GONERFEST 20 ONE COLOR SHIRTS $20

BUTTONS $1 & $3

GONERFEST 20 THREE COLOR SHIRTS $25

GONERFEST MERCH

MEMPHIANS WHO KNOW

This probably isn’t your first pilgrimage to GONERFEST to slap fives with like-minded fans or slide shots of shitty liquor back at an after-party with a member of your new favorite band. I’m into all that, and I hope you make magnificent memories.

But one underrated fun game to play, while you’re having an absolute blast, is to think about all the years and years of the past when Memphis magic was happening on these very same streets and in these very same rooms.

By all means, stay in the moment. But look around and ask questions, too. It’s my favorite thing to do: piece together the past, imagine what might be left of it, which artifacts remain, and which people know the stories. Those motherfuckers are all around you: the doormen, the bartenders, roadies, hanger-on asshats, burnout audio engineers, superfans, super freaks, and more. Memphis is the only place with a “Sex Pistols Taco Bell” and a dark, dank music venue with a room in the back where Elvis used to practice his bullshit karate. Nothing you see is really what you see when you consider what it used to be. Steve Jobs got a liver transplant here in town and stuck around for a while to rest and recover. Thomas Edison lived in Memphis for a hot minute to get some telegraph shit crackin’, but one of his managers was a hater who kept tryna throw salt on him behind the scenes, so he bounced. Steven Seagal keeps popping up in town because he’s clearly bored. And I’m only scratching the surface of the absolutely bonkers tidbits Memphis continues to attract over time.

So, what in the fuck are you waiting for? Here’s your chance to find the greatest, most brilliantly dumb story in our town. You just gotta find the right person to ask.

Jared Boyd WYXR Program Director, Music Journalist

We asked some folks we know and admire to give some words to our Gonerfest visitors, so here is some wisdom from

Here goes: From the Baron, Ross Johnson, to those GF 2023 attendees driving rental cars and drinking a bit. As a onetime decades long alkie I can advise against driving to after parties or motel rooms after the fest. Somehow I avoided capture, arrest and incarceration after logging thousands of drunk driving hours. You may not be so lucky. The cops here will snatch your ass to jail in a second. I know most imbibing out-of-towners will be using Uber or Lyft anyway.

Ross Johnson

Librarian, Panther Burns, Baron Of Love

My bloodline has been in Memphis since 1839, so I know a bit about this place. I think the best thing about Memphis is the culture we’ve built. It’s the people, our food, and our sounds. Memphis is Hip Hug-Her on a Tuesday with a BBQ stain from Payne’s. Memphis is your word and a handshake. Memphis is so, so much. Be here, make it your own. Celebrate.

Bill Webb, Jr

Memphis Weirdos Radio, Turnt, Photographer, Historian, Paranormal Investigator, Man Who Knows Where The Bodies Are Buried

LISTEN TO THE GONERFEST 20 PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY

Fuck you, Memphis, you split personality who loves and hates. You make my heart soar with your sense of independence that sings and thumps and stands defiant. You make my heart sore with your wanton destruction, your lack of respect for what you have and your greedy desire for what you don’t have. Fuck your shortsightedness, you beneficiaries of the long haul. Fuck your stupidity, bred by unearned self-entitlement (built upon a self-deceived sense of the past). Fuck the way the money flows, fuck the wedges you insert when there’s a desire for unity. Fuck you and the cotton boll husk you blew in on, fuck the silos you build for your brains, fuck you and the bbq sauce you stole, the donut oil that makes you slick, the beer gut that weighs you down. Fuck you for not acknowledging who you are, the diversity you are made of, for not helping when you could do so much. As compensation, we accept your art, demand more of it, hope it’ll breed hope. We want your art, we don’t want your hate. We want you to appreciate—what you have.

Memphis, sometimes you really piss me off.

Robert Gordon East Memphis Shopper’s News

www.TheRobertGordon.com

Welcome to Memphis. It’s been over forty years since I was told that phrase, and in the decades that have passed, it feels like every square inch of the city has changed. The landscape of my youth—the Antenna Club, Barristers, Green’s Lounge, CK’s, Pat’s Pizza, the P+H Cafe—has been razed and replaced by garish new builds, or, in some cases, by nothing at all. The Center for Southern Folklore, and its annual Memphis Music and Heritage Festival, which was where I first saw Rufus Thomas perform “Walking the Dog” in his trademark knee socks and satin shorts, is no more. In the old days, I’d drive out-of-towners around and excitedly point things out: “This is where the Oblivians play!” “This is where Ike Turner lived when he first moved to Memphis!” “This is where Pavement, Sonic Youth, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Catpower and Guided By Voices record!” Nowadays, I point out ghosts. Maybe it’s a byproduct of middle age that happens to all of us, in every city.

Thankfully, Memphis is no Nashville, and the strange and wonderful idiosyncrasies that make us us still remain—you just have to dig a little deeper. Gonerfest will keep you plenty busy, but try to take a timeout for Wild Bill’s, one of the city’s few remaining blue cafes, for a late night quart bottle and a live band. Nourish your soul while you fill your belly with a chopped shoulder sandwich at Payne’s BBQ or a full plate of pork ribs at the Cozy Corner, two multi-generation Black culinary dynasties that have somehow survived gentrification. Stop by the Lamplighter Lounge, a Midtown institution that has managed to reinvent itself under new ownership without disrupting the invisible forcefield that drew William Eggleston and Jay Reatard like moths to a light. Drop into the Memphis Listening Lab, where you can absorb a mind-blowing array of Memphiscentric records on an incredible sound system, and tune into Pastor Juan D. Shipp’s noontime gospel show on WYXR-FM while you’re tooling around town this Saturday. Drink the water—not just because you need to hydrate, but because our tap water is, like our music and our food, the best in the world.

Andria Lisle Writer / Curator / Memphis Ambassador

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

5:00 OPENING CEREMONIES

2:00-4:00PM

CHECK-IN PARTY AT CENTRAL STATION

Get your Gonerfest Wristbands, avoid the crush at the gate. HOT TUB ERIC will be DJing.

MCs Billups Allen / Stephen Pope

DJs: Kitchy Kat / DJ Matty

5:30 LAUNDRY BATS

6:15 ALIEN NOSEJOB

7:00 JACK OF HEART

7:45 EXBATS

8:30 THE KIDS

9:30 OSEES

MCs

Billups Allen (Memphis, TN)

Star of the hit online series GONER TV. A dog-walker and an author. His work can be seen in Razorcake, Ugly Things, and his own Cramhole zine. Read his book, 101 Movies You Can See Before You Die.

Stephen Pope (Memphis, TN)

Memphis’ own Wavves / Barbaras / Jay Reatard Band wildman. You know him by his hair. You love him for his spirit. Take it away, Stephen!

DJs

DJ Kitschy Kat (Memphis, TN)

Noted Film Curator Comes On Strong With The Tunes

DJ Matty (New Orleans, LA)

Legendary Royal Pendletons guitarist Matt Uhmann knows how to rock a party! He’s been doing the Mod Dance Party with Kristen Aul since 2000!

5:30

LAUNDRY BATS

(MEMPHIS, TN)

Who They Are: Abe White (Oscars, Manateees, True Sons Of Thunder)

backed by Memphis All-Stars: Greg Cartwright, Jack Yarber, and Alicja Trout.

What To Expect: Unique Minimalist Punk Rock in inimitable Abe-Style!

photo Nico Cagle

ALIEN NOSEJOB

(MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA)

Who They Are: Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants, School Damage) solo project careening through various genres.

What To Expect: Although the upcoming Alien Nosejob on Goner is perfect 60s Garage Pop, we could witness everything from fractured frantic Eggpunk to pure punk to pop. Hold on!

7:00

JACK OF HEART

(FRANCE / SWITZERLAND / CANADA)

Who They Are: Piero from the legendary garage punkers THE FATALS with Jeff Clarke from Demons Claws / Black Lips, Andy California (Feeling Of Love, Monsieurs) and OG Jack Of Heart drummer Robin Fox.

What To Expect: Poetic lyrics and a continental flair. Piero also did the King Louie cover song on the Gonerfest 45. Also: pissing on the mainframe. Goner Board forever. Piero!

7:45

EXBATS

(BISBEE, AZ)

Who They Are: Goner Records 60s style garage pop masterslike the Beach Boys moved to Arizona and got a kick-ass female singer as their drummer. With the great producer Matt Rendon on board!

What To Expect: Super songs stuck in your head for weeks!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

8:30

THE KIDS (BELGIUM)

Who They Are: Legendary Belgian first wave punkers.

The Beginning of the kids: 1976: Inspired by the upcoming punk wave, Ludo Mariman and the De Haes brothers formed The Kids. Their bass player, Danny de Haes, is only 12 at the time (and not allowed in at some of their own concerts).

Why Does It Matter: Rarely seen in the US!

What To Expect: UNBEATABLY Catchy, short, pogo-ready punk rock blasts!

9:30

OSEES (SAN FRANCISCO, CA)

Who They Are: Long-running avant-punk pummel band from the West Coast lead by highly wired mania John Dwyer.

HAVE THEY PLAYED GONERFEST: Oh yeah, Gonerfest Five And Six!

What to expect: Full mania. The biggest act of the fest!

photo Connor Lyons

SEPTEMBERFRIDAY, 29

MCs

Ryan Hailey (LA, CA)

Our man in the internet trenches, Ryan Hailey. Check out his Ryan’s World videos for a primer on how to be funny on the internet! 100% Action!

AWFM (Memphis, TN)

AWFM brought down the house last year with his performance with the Unapologetic Crew. Will he MC from on top of the stage? Who knows!

Dane Perugini (Memphis, TN)

Dane Perugini holds down the Goner Records register like no one since the great John Hoppe, with a youthful but promising grimace and intolerance for fools.

DJs Madison Farmer / Sarah Mason (NOLA / Atlanta)

Madison ran Goner while we just got in her way through the 2000s. Sarah ran the prolific Pelican Pow Wow Records out of New Orleans. Both are sharpwitted women, dangerous on the wheels of steel.

Byron Coley (Northampton, MA)

Legendary music critic / obscure record guy returns for more great DJ action. So glad to have Byron back!

Todd Abramson (NY, NY)

Todd-o-Phonic Todd from WFMU is the crème de l’rock, pop, and garage. The best of the best! Booked Oblivians in Hoboken in 1994!

7:15

8:15

9:15

10:30

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

1:30 OPTIC SINK (MEMPHIS, TN)

Who They Are: Memphis Electro-punks with Natalie Hoffmann (Nots, Ex-Cult), Ben Bauermeister (Magic Kids), and Keith Cooper (Sheiks, Model Zero).

What To Expect: With the addition of Cooper, Optic Sink has stretched out to include more Krautrock moves, longer songs, and deeper grooves. Get up and get the day started weird, wired, & right!

2:15

VINTAGE CROP (GEELONG, AUSTRALIA)

Who They Are: Long-running Geelong, Australia post punkers with releases on the venerable Anti-Fade label.

What To Expect: Tense, taut post punk that will keep your attention riveted.

3:00

VIRVON VARVON (LONDON, ENGLAND)

Who They Are: British garage punk with Lemmy Caution & Stix Champion of Gonerfest veterans Black Time… plus members of Wake Up Dead, Candy Highway and The Jazz June.

What Does Their Name Mean?

VV took their name from part of a chant from the Finnish Easter Witch: “Virvon varvon tuoreeks, terveeks, tulevaks vuodeks, vitsa sulle, palkka mulle!”

What To Expect: “...something for Crypt Records rockers and Total Punkers, posthardcore boy/girl basement angst ALA Cupid Car Club circa 1993 live, and music from a label you can trust because Girlsville knows what’s up.” Turntable Report Their ep on Girlsville records was one of our favorites of last year!

3:45

1-800-MIKEY (SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA)

Who They Are: Another in a big mess of interconnected, great Sydney bands. Mikey was onstage playing guitar & keyboards (at the same time!) last year with Gee Tee.

What To Expect: More powerful pop from the Gee Tee / RRC / Tee Vee Repairmann collective, with a more pop / Jay Reatard feel to Mikey’s stuff? Addictive!

4:30

IBEX CLONE (MEMPHIS,

TN)

Who They Are: Memphis postpunkers with album out on Goner featuring Alec McIntire (Hash Redactor, Ex-Cult) and Meredith Lones (Nots, Hash Redactor) with guitarist George Williford.

What To Expect: George plays underwater guitar unlike anything you’ve ever heard, bringing in hazy Chameleons / The Sound early post-punk moves mixed with strong vocals and modern moves. Get with it!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

5:30

TEE VEE REPAIRMANN (SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA)

Who They Are: Aussie hyper-pop / punk from the R.R.C. Gee Tee / 1-800-Mikey collective!

What To Expect: High Energy rock n roll with hooks a mile wide! New LP on TOTAL PUNK is one of our biggest sellers in the store! Can’t keep it on the shelves! Go nuts!

6:15

SKULL PRACTITIONERS

(NEW YORK, NY)

Who They Are: New York heavy guitar rock trio featuring current Dream Syndicate guitarist Jason Victor. New Lp Negative Stars on In The Red.

What To Expect: Dark intimidating blasts from a true power trio.

Playing live, we’re out for blood.” Victor adds, “With the live thing, we just want to destroy, in the

nicest, most friendly way — we’re nice people. Someone said about us, ‘These guys look like a bunch of accountants.’ People don’t really know what to expect before they hear us. I think they’re all a little surprised, maybe, and we like having that element of surprise — ‘We’re gonna blow your minds a little.’”

7:15

C.O.F.F.I.N

(MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA)

Who They Are: Recent Goner signees from Down Under cranking out animalistic Andipodean ROCK with style and little grace.

What To Expect: Punk rock plus AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Coloured Balls, sweat, beer, and mayhem.

Tours with Amyl & The Sniffers & more have made C.O.F.F.I.N a formidable live machine ready to steamroller you with their ROCK!

8:15 SWEEPING PROMISES

(LAWRENCE, KS)

Who They Are: Caufield Schnug and Lira Mondal. Pop Song Masters. Sophomore album on Sub Pop / Feel It.

What To Expect: Mondal’s vocals lead the way through hooky anthems that will be in your ears for weeks. Gonerfest 18 appearance was a standout. Recent tours have made ‘em a hit machine. LOOK OUT!

9:15 CIVIC

(SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA)

Who They Are: Australian combo who combine classic Australian punk rock into a massive undeniable groove.

What To Expect: Saints / Radio Birdman energy pumped into the here and NOW! U.S. crowds have raged about CIVIC’s live shows and now it’s Gonerfest time!

Photo Shawn Brackbill

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

10:30

GORIES

(DETROIT, MI)

Who They Are: Detroit minimalist Garage Punk Masters, started in the 80s on noted Wanghead Records. Mick Collins, Dan Kroha, & Peg O’Neil are Garage Rock Royalty!

What They Do: Minimal drum and guitar pound, reflecting the drive of many Detroit acts from the Stooges to the Keggs, John Lee Hooker, and a million raw garage bands from the mid-1960s. They sneak covers of NYC act Suicide and disco act Machine in there as well. Dig the interplay between these masters. All hail!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

MCs

Lucy Isadora (Jackson, MS)

Big Clown’s commanding singer will no doubt infuse Gonerfest with highenergy charismatic MC moves.

Moth Moth Moth (Memphis, TN)

Mothie brings style to the hosting duties, proving Gonerfest can be glamourous, dangerous, and chic. Take that, Mempho!

Quintron & Miss Pussycat (New Orleans, LA)

Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Goner Records royalty, know how to throw a party. Who better to close out Saturday Night?

DJs

Camylle Reynolds (San Francisco, CA)

Camylle survived playing bass with SF’s mighty Midnite Snaxxx and knows what’s up.

Russell Quan (San Francisco, CA)

Mummies’ drummer and everyone’s hero will get the dance floor shakin! His sets with Bazooka Joe during Gonerfest 16 are the stuff of legend.

Alix Brown (New York, NY)

Angry Angles / Lids veteran DJs high fashion shows, packed dance clubs, and Gonerfest! We’re thrilled she’s gracing us with one of her exquisite sets!

8:30

9:30

10:30

1:30

EVIL TREE

(NEW ORLEANS, LA)

Who They Are: Drew Owen (Sick Thoughts) leads New Orleans’ finest through metal both Dark & speedy.

What To Expect: “Fans of Transylvanian Hunger or the 7” period of Midnight will surely be pleased with this festering mess. Metal-Punk with no Motorhead riffing in sight. Just seething, horny darkness.”

- Bandcamp

Evil Tree

2:15

THE SMOG

(OSAKA, JAPAN)

Who They Are: Osaka Post Punkers active since 2018

What To Expect: Their Sound is based on UK 70’s Punk, mainly influenced by The Fall, Wire, The Outsiders, early Cure, Johnny And The Self Abusers, The Desperate Bicycles, Warsaw and bands included in Messthetics Comp. “With edgy sound and aggressive and hasty rhythm.” - from Bandcamp

3:00

DIPPERS

(MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA)

Who They Are: Matthew Ford & Innez Tulloch. They used to be called Thigh Master.

What They Do: Moody, idiosyncratic post punk with charm… descendants of Tall Dwarfs / Chris Knox’s catchy oddball rock, but out in their own field for sure. New album out now on Goner!

The Smog

Dippers

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

3:45

COOL JERKS

(MEMPHIS / OXFORD / NASHVILLE)

Who They Are: Scott Rogers, Dave Boyer, Jack Oblivian, & Forrest Hewes were a Memphis / Oxford Garage Punk Supergroup in the early 2000s.

What To Expect: Explosive guitars, ecstatic vocals, a combination of Oblivians punk and Neckbones rock… The last of the real Rock N Roll Bands? Maybe so!

4:30

LEWSBERG (NETHERLANDS)

Who They Are: Impossibly cool Dutch Underground Rockers.

What To Expect: Hypnotic post-Velvet Underground chug and groove from one of our most-anticipated acts. Lewsberg make songs so slow-moving they seem invisible, with spoken words dropped perfectly into the gaps. Let them bewitch you with their world.

Lewsberg

Cool Jerks

5:30

BILL ORCUTT & CHRIS CORSANO (SF, CA / NEW YORK, NY)

Who They Are: The Crème De La Crème of drums / guitar improvisation duo circa NOW!

What To Expect: Rhythmic Clatter, Guitar noise, melodic string-bending, wildness! This is not garage rockin! Bill was lead guitar in the infamous Florida noise punkers Harry Pussy. Check out his Tiny Desk Concert with his lineup with four guitars! Mindblowing. For those about to rock way outside the lines!

6:30

KING LOUIE MEMORIAL FAMILY BAND (NEW ORLEANS, LA)

Who They Are: New Orleans finest friends of King Louie Bankston, organized by guitar shred head Julian Freez. These folks have been in so many of Louie’s bands I doubt anyone could list them all.

What To Expect: 45 minutes of King Louie songs performed by some of his best, most talented friends. There will be boogie, there will be rock n roll. There will be country. There will be tears.

A fitting way to celebrate King Louie, Gonerfest OG. Enjoy the Gonerfest 45 with songs by Jack of Heart & Quintron.

VIVA LOUIE THE KING!

King Louie Memorial Family Band

Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

7:30 POISON RUIN

(PHILADELPHIA, PA)

Who They Are: Philadelphia “Dungeon Punks”

What To Expect: Heavily rockin’ doomy post-punk, has been making the peoples wild! The punks! The Metals! Now on Relapse Records!

8:30 COURETTES

(DENMARK)

Who They Are: Danish two-piece garage punk

What They Do: Vivacioius Garage Rock crunch mixed with 60s Girl Group hooks, an irresistible combination! Hard-touring duo has won fans over all over the globe! Do not take them lightly! The Courettes come to tear the place down!

9:30

MARKED MEN

(DENTON, TX)

Who they Are: Denton’s long-running punk rockers with huge hooks and huge heart.

What They Do: They do poppy punk RIGHT! Where all the other bands go HERE, Marked Men go THERE! Legends and Gonerfest veterans! So glad they’re back!

10:30

MUMMIES

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA)

Who They Are: They’re Mummies!

What They Do: Perfectly sloppy, insane Garage Punk originals and covers that will make Railgarten go bananas! Hold on to your toga and your alcoholic fizzy water! The Mummies are coming! The Mummies are coming!

Photo Eric Peterson

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1

2:00 TURNT w/MSR JEFFREY EVANS

3:00 MORGAN & THE ORGAN DONORS

Famed Impala / Don Bryant bandleader & producer & soundtracker extraordinaire - Dolomite!

MC Scott Baretta

Ex-editor of Living Blues Magazine, music fanatic. Scott knows music.

2:00

TURNT

(MEMPHIS, TN)

Who They Are: Turnt has been playing on Sunday mornings at Memphis’ venerable Lamplighter Lounge, leading a changing cast of Memphis’ finest through long improvised

4:00 RISING STAR FIFE & DRUM BAND

5:00 CLOSING CEREMONIES

5:30 GONERFEST ALLEY SHOT @ GONER RECORDS

8:00 DJ COME DOWN PARTY @ DKDC

jams while beer starts to flow and the smell of burgers grilling start to waft through the bar. Featuring at various times Ross Johnson, Jimi Inc, Haley Ivey, Scott Taylor, Bill Webb Jr, Bill Dierssen and more. This time featuring the most special Special Guest Msr Jeffrey Evans (Gibson Bros, ’68 Comeback) for a rare local appearance. Haven’t seen Jeff since last Gonerfest!

What They Do: A relentless rock n roll groove to get caught up in, a dive bar Memphis Hawkwind doing it now. Plus added Jeffrey Evans! Great start for a Sunday afternoon.

DJ Scott Bomar

3:00

MORGAN & THE ORGAN DONORS

(OLYMPIA, WA)

Who They Are: Morgan and the Organ Donors have been playing almost exclusively at one lone Olympia bar every December for the last decade.

Featuring Bikini Kill’s Tobi Vail, COCO’s Olivia Ness, and Famed Husband and Wife Team of James Maeda and Sara Peté, their songs belong in the pantheon of Pacific Northwest Stand-bys such as the Wipers, Dead Moon, the Wailers.

What To Expect: From Epic slide-filled Country-tinged pop to stomping NW garage, all of it rock n roll. Songs that expand to fill your heart. Perfect for the Sunday Afternoon Gonerfest scene!

4:00

RISING STAR FIFE & DRUM

(SENATOBIA, MS)

Who They Are: Sharde Thomas took over from her grandfather, the legendary Othar Turner, as leader of the area’s long-running fife & drum band, continuing a tradition that extends back into time.

What They Do: The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band bring traditional drums & sugar cane fife into the 2020s without messing it up. It’s a real, living music and you will dig it. Get the feeling!

photo by Kelsey Smith

THINGS TO DO IN MEMPHIS

First timer? Revisiting places you’ve been on previous visits? Have some time to explore? Planning to come back? These are some landmarks of Memphis Music and Memphis History. Wander around, check out the city. Tell everyone you’re here for Gonerfest!

SUN STUDIO

706 Union Ave.

True American original Sam Phillips founded Sun in 1950. A year later, he produced Rocket 88 – the Jackie Brenston jam that, with the help of Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm, spawned this whole rock and roll thing. Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Little Milton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and countless others made their historic contributions thanks to Sun. Current tour guides include “drummer in all bands” Graham Winchester and brilliant singer songwriter Mark Edgar Stuart. Soak it up.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

926 E. McLemore Ave.

A great museum created on the location of the original studio. A space where black, white, male and female musicians created music during heated times. It’s hard to comprehend the influence these studios had on American music. A trip to the museum sure can help. Otis Redding, Wendy Rene, Booker T. and the MG’s, Johnnie Taylor, Rufus Thomas, and so many more recorded on this site, and their effects on history run deep. Isaac Hayes’ car spinning on a massive Lazy Susan is fun to watch and talks to you, too.

ROYAL STUDIOS

1320 Willie Mitchell Blvd.

Still an active studio- Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson cut part of “Uptown Funk” here – Royal was where Poppa Willie Mitchell cut Hi Records hits from Al Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay, and OV Wright, as well as his own killer instrumentals. Not set up for tours like Sun or Stax.

ARDENT STUDIO

2000 Madison Ave.

Yes, Big Star recorded their magical albums here! And drummer Jody Stephens, one of Memphis’ greatest ambassadors, is the current VP of Production. A legendary place for many, with Alex Chilton’s Like Flies On Sherbert, The Replacements Pleased To Meet Me, and ZZ Top’s Eliminator recorded there. Among many, many others! Not set up for tours. Hopefully in years to come we can again set up some walk-throughs for Gonerfesters!

GRACELAND

3717 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Pushed out of his 1034 Audubon Dr. home due to an increasing need for privacy, Elvis settled down for the rest of his life in Memphis at Graceland; an expansive plot of land where myth, memory, and Elvis himself are interred. Never mind the kitsch and capitalist grip they have on his name-what can be gleaned from his time on earth can be felt in the walls of Graceland.

METAL MUSEUM

374 Metal Museum Dr.

On the bluff of the Mississippi just south of Beale St. is the Country’s only museum dedicated to the fine art of decorative and conceptual metalwork. There’s a smithy on site and an excellent view of the river from the gazebo. Native American ceremonial mounds are right across the road.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

From the Greenbelt Park in Harbortown to the strange nooks and crannies behind the Church on the River, there are some spectacular places to enjoy a sunset on the Mississippi. Find a place to chill while you’re here, the Air BnB or Motel 6 can only do so much for the soul. This river is the whole reason Memphis is here. CHECK IT OUT! PS The northern “New” bridge is fixed and open. And lights up at night! The “Old Bridge” to the south has a killer walking path across to Arkansas.

FULL GOSPEL TABERNACLE

787 Hale Rd.

Provided he’s in town, Reverend Al Green can rectify any wrongdoings that may have occurred while you were here. If you can stomach waking up on Sunday Morning, that is.

JAY REATARD’S GRAVE: MEMORIAL PARK CEMETERY

5668 Poplar Ave.

Take a trip out east and pay homage to someone very special to the Goner name. Isaac Hayes is buried right next to him, and across the road is the bizarre Crystal Shrine Grotto. Hallowed grounds!

See also the cool Jay mural at South Main St & Vance downtown, a short walk from Central Station Hotel.

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN (AND AROUND) MEMPHIS

Should a quest for the more obscure tickle your fancy, here’s a few places to get you started. The following locations give Memphis the glimmer in the diamond of its magic.

ELVIS’ FIRST GRAVE: FOREST HILL MIDTOWN

1661 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Before Elvis was interred at Graceland, he was alongside his mother at the haunting mausoleum in the back of Forrest Hill Midtown. Take the winding road past decadent monuments and through rolling hills to get to it. It remains an off-the-beaten-path holy space for Elvis fans and another mythic locale for his legendary life. Allegedly people would attempt to break into his grave here.

FURRY LEWIS’ GRAVE: HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY

2012 Hernando Rd.

Behind Forrest Hill Midtown is the abandoned Hollywood cemetery. Despite its terrors, it is the final resting place for Walter “Furry” Lewis; Memphis Blues legend. His grave is difficult to find, but some online sleuthing and a keen eye can reveal his humble tombstone.

CHARLIE FEATHERS’ GRAVE: FORREST HILL SOUTH

2545 E. Holmes Rd.

Any Rockabillies looking to pay their respects to their king can find him out past the airport in an unassuming branch of the Forrest Hill cemeteries. He’s in the back and on the right- ask the staff!

CHRIS BELL’S GRAVE: MEMPHIS FUNERAL HOME AND MEMORIAL GARDENS

3700 North Germantown Parkway Bartlett, TN 38133

The 27 Club has its famed members; Morrison, Joplin, Cobain...even Amy Winehouse. Fixed on that list is the lesser known (but more relevant??) Chris Bell--Big Star’s founding member and “I Am The Cosmos” singer. Ignore the mural on the side of Otherlands and pay respects at the above address. See also the Big Star tribute section of Mortimers Restaurant on Perkins if you’re a Big Star fanatic.

JOHNNY CASH STATUE

999 S Cooper St.

Right around the corner from Goner, a Johnny Cash statue near the site of his first public performance. The bronze statue was carved by first-time sculptor Mike McCarthy, famous for his great sleazy movies and comics, including the great Sore Losers starring Jack Oblivian.

JERRY’S SNO CONES

1657 Wells Station Rd.

For a true Memphis experience, get out of Midtown and get a Sno Cone at Jerry’s. Is it great? You tell me, but you’ll be mixing and mingling with all kinds of Memphis folks. They have food, too, if you’re hungry. A Memphis institution!

BIRTHPLACE OF ARETHA FRANKLIN

406 Lucy Ave.

Though her family relocated to Detroit when she was two years old, Aretha Franklin was born here in Memphis; just down the street from what would become Stax Records (now the Stax Musuem.) Man, what a neighborhood! The house still stands, barely. See it while you can.

SUMMER AVENUE

Restaurants, antique stores, thrift stores, and etc!

Summer is an excellent example of Memphis business at its finest and a wonderful stretch to explore and discover. While Midtown homes flip and renovate, Summer Avenue mostly remains the same, incorporating new immigrants and Memphis natives in a great patchwork of trailer parks, liquor stores, import stores, thrift stores, antique stores, and more.

SOUTHLAND CASINO

550 North Ingram Boulevard, West Memphis, AR 72301

If rocking and rolling just doesn’t quite scratch your degenerate itch, take a trip to the casino! What used to be a dog racing track is now a full-fledged casino. Sammy Hagar’s restaurant is there, too. Enticing?

Disgusting? Sure! Keep West Memphis West Memphis! It’s in Arkansas!

EBBO SPIRITUAL SUPPLY

1331 Madison Ave.

Candles, cards, herbs, and incense. Cleanse yourself, you’ll need it.

BEER / WINE / LIQUOR STORES

BEER/LIQUOR TIPS:

Liquor stores open at 8am! Close at 11:00PM. Liquor stores can open on Sundays after Noon.

Liquor/wine is not sold in convenience stores or gas stations. Wine is now sold in Memphis supermarkets. Beer is sold til 3am - but not until noon on Sundays. Wine is not sold on Sunday in supermarkets.

Open containers are not allowed on the street, unless that street is Beale Street, and you probably don’t need to be on Beale Street unless you really need that Hurricane and another version of “Mustang Sally.”

Kimbrough Liquor 1483 Union Avenue

♥ Program Guide Advertiser, small and extensive selection! Has Goner guy Cort Williams in their ranks, solid neighborhood liquor store, right next to Little Italy Pizza joint on Union Ave. Carries Gonerbrau!

Tip Top 1883 Madison Ave.

Small Bottle Shop for a grab-and-go

Half Pints/Pints available on floor.

Cash Saver 1620 Madison

Cheap and extensive local beer selection, across from old Gonerfest location Murphy’s.

Southpoint Grocery 136 Webster

Joe’s 1681 Poplar Ave.

Knowledgeable staff, Amazing selection. Iconic Sign - Carries Gonerbrau!

New full-service grocer downtown! A couple of big blocks from Central Station, nice selection of beer & wine, deli, etc.

Buster’s 191 S. Highland

Large atore with extensive wine and wine accessories selection a bit East of the action.

BBQ SPOTS

Payne’s 1762 Lamar Ave.

The Real Deal. Near Goner. Atomic yellow slaw. Now takes credit cards! What? Get there early- meat sells out.

Souvenir alert: Get a Payne’s BBQ T-Shirt, coveted worldwide. They will sell their sauce, too! Gifts for Xmas – DONE!

Cozy Corner 735 N. Parkway

Get the Cornish Hen! Or ribs! Tip from Fuck & Fake’s Tim Prudhomme: Rib tips are the best deal per pound. But gristley… choice is yours! They also sell out early. Note: They also have killer T-shirts. They also sell their sauce!

Rendezvous 52 S. 2nd St. Memphis Institution, In an alleyway, underground. Dry rub BBQ.

Central BBQ 2259 Central Ave.

A few more locations around town but this one is almost directly across from Railgarten! Besides the very tender BBQ, the wings are quite good. Whether it will be open or not by Gonerfest, who knows!

BBQ Shop 1782 Madison Ave. BBQ Spaghetti? BBQ Spaghetti! Plus Texas Toast! Fun to say and quite fun to eat, too!

Author Robert Gordon recommends their ribs!

Tops multiple locations

Fast food BBQ but still good!

Cheeseburger is their secret weapon- grilled to order.

Bain BBQ 993 Cooper St.

Around the corner from Goner, Bain is Texas BBQ, specializing in beef brisket, but they also have smoked pork and turkey. Don’t delay- meat sells out early!

MEXICAN

Maciel’s 820 S. Cooper St.

Around the corner from Railgarten, down the street from Memphis Made… good tacos, watch out for the burritos. But Tacos!

Burrito Express 1675 Madison Ave. Burrito Express is legit taco truck & cash only.

Los Comales 1322 Madison Ave. Los Comales good for margaritas & decent tacos & sitdown fare.  Scott Rogers’ Margarita Mistake is a Gonerfest Sunday post-alley shot tradition!

Also if you find yourself down Summer Avenue, all taco trucks are good. Everything on Summer Avenue is good. Be careful, but have fun.

MUSIC STORES

Martin Music 2659 Poplar Ave Guitars, amps, strings, etc! Nice folks! Not GS A-Holes!

Memphis Drum Shop 878 S. Cooperaround the corner from Goner!  Biggest drum shop for hundreds of miles! Tell ‘em you’re here for Gonerfest!

EVERYTHING ELSE

Beauty Shop 966 S Cooper St

Perfect for a brunch- in an old Beauty Shop! Patron of Goner projects forever. Check out Bar DKDC next door. Right around the corner from Goner Records.

Gus’ Fried Chicken 310 S. Front Street / 730 S. Mendenhall

Killer fried Chicken with 40’s to wash it all down. Now a franchise you can try across the US.

Kwik Chek 2013 Madison Avenue

Sandwich shop frequented by the locals, Also Korean Noodles next door at Crazy Noodle. Go see Goner’s fave server Gally!

Soul Fish 862 S Cooper

Excellent, simple seafood and Soul Food done right.. A fave of visitors and locals alike!

Fino’s Italian Deli 1853 Madison

Italian sandwiches, pizza, and deli. Barely hanging in there. Billups’ fave.

Young Avenue Deli 2119 Young Ave.

Extensive menu and beer selection, close to Goner. Big, greasy burger.

Pho Binh Vietnamese 1615 Madison Ave

Cheap Vietnamese. Staple of Memphis artists / musicians forever.

Arcade Restaurant 540 S Main

Oldest restaurant in Memphis, a classic diner for breakfast / brunch. Across the street from the Central Station hotel & train station. As seen in Jarmusch’ Mystery Train film. True trip back in time.

Skateboarding Scene

AL Town

DIY skate spot a mile from Goner. ASK A LOCAL!

Tobey Park 2599 Avery Avenue Memphis TN 38112

Society Skatepark (Indoors) 583 Scott St, Memphis, TN 38112

GONERFEST MEMORIES

apologies if some tend to be a bit hazy at this point... 19 years in!

JOHN HOPPE (Goner Rocker Supremo)

5. Gonerfest 1.

King Louie One Man Band/King Khan & BBQ Show/ Black Lips at the Buccanneer, This was akin to seeing Jerry Lee/Little Richard/Bo Diddley on a 60s revival show battling it out. Manic, explosive rock and roll with everyone trying to top each other in the most beautiful shithole bar ever.

4. GF10

Cosmic Psychos showing how it’s done, no fucking around just nailing it. Honorable Mention HEAD

3. GF8

Reverend John Wilkins & Family summoning the sun out of the sky on the unholiest ground imaginable, Murphy’s parking lot. You saw me crying!

2 GF14

Derv Gordon & So What

My favorite musical memory of all the GFs, beating out faves Carbonas/Angry Angles/Barbaras etc in this fan boy’s (fan man’s?) heart.

1 GF all

Standing in the parking lots/Goner alley/CooperYoung Gazebo/Memphis streets & sidewalks laughing,clowning around, yacking it up with amazing people like Drewbie Crenshaw, Josh Benton, Sarah Underhill and all the Gonerfest family.

ERIC (Goner)

Five (Okay, Seven) Gonerfest Moments

Redneck w/Eel In Kiddie Pool (Gonerfest 2: Electric Goneroo)

Tuff Bananas at Vintage Clothes place (Gonerfest 4)

Icky Boyfriends (Gonerfest 8)

Playing guitar with feedtime at Murphys afteparty (Gonerfest 14)

Davila 666 (Gonerfest 6)

Rev John WIlkins pullling up to the Buccaneer on his Harley to say hey a couple weeks before GF, all dressed in leather. Tough as Heaven. (Gonerfest 8)

Brannon vs the universe. (Gonerfest 19)

COLE WHEELER (Goner)

I’d say the memories are endless, but through the blur this is what sticks out.

Sets from Red Sneakers/AV Murder, Gonerfest 5 Murphy’s Day Show (My First Gonerfest)

Spits Set at Gonerfest 9 Hi Tone (Had a panic attack afterwards...a sign of quality rock and roll)

Don Perry gnawing down one of Richard’s BBQ pig knuckles and yelling at people, Gonerfest 16??

Making a name tag for Drewbie out of string and cardboard that he wore in earnest, Gonerfest 12?

Watching Lydia Lunch and her band pull up in the van at their exact set time, chasing them down in a frenzy and getting them on stage only to be blown away, Gonerfest 15.

Bonus: Watching Lydia Lunch throw green room lunch meat in her bag, professing her hunger to me.

GALLY SHEEDY (Murphy’s Door, Crazy Noodle)

No order

Tirefire day show (Gonerfest 10)

Mudhoney!! (Gonerfest 10)

Rev John Wilkins daughters bring tears to everyones eyes (Gonerfest 18)

Cyclops bucc day show (Gonerfest 8)

Royal Headache (Gonerfest 8)

GONERFEST MEMORIES

ZAC (Goner)

GF feels like it is a little memory machine - it makes lots every year and then you forget them all by the next year. I feel like I’ve forgotten hundreds of my favorite Gonerfest memories. But I’ve seen so many of my favorite bands’ favorite sets here, and either started or solidified so many friendships over this same weekend every year. It’s not really fair to try and drill down to five so I’m gonna go with the first five I think of:

Wondering if anyone was gonna show up to Gonerfest 1, then seeing obscure Italian record head Fredrico Zanutto walking across the street while on a lunch run the day before it started and realizing that yes, folks were here for it.

Finding two Japanese kids with gear and bags in front of the store on the Monday before Gonerfest 5 when we were opening up - we asked what they were doing and they said, “We’re Red Sneakers - we are here to play Gonerfest!” We said we wished they had told us they were coming. Four days later Jay Reatard canceled and we slotted in Red Sneakers who stole the Saturday day show and had a story written about them in the newspaper the next day.

Weird off-shoot cover bands we made up for the fest: We are the Rats (MOTO - GF1) w/ Michael Bateman on guitar for his one and only on-stage appearance, Son of VOM w/ Keith and Charlotte and Joe Pestilence, and Memphis Clouds (our tribute to criminally underappreciated Scottish popsters the Clouds), with Madison, Robby and Charlotte.

Getting the Len Bright Combo over to headline Gonerfest ( ) - seeing R&R veterans and musical heroes Wreckless Eric, Bruce Brand and Russ Wilkins all get nervous and giddy and excited before the show and then watch them play a truly amazing set was as moving a music experience as I›ve ever had. They looked like they were having as much fun as we were!

Cobra Man showing up with a keyboard and a laptop and a broken cymbal and stand and then laying waste to the inside of Murphys. People flooded in and the WORBLE crew had folks crowd surfing on plywood. Lots of near ceiling fan decapitations.

Plus - a million more. Love ya all and can’t wait to see everyone again!

TRAVEL GUIDES

EXPLORE ROCK'N'ROLL DESTINATIONS WITH LOCAL MUSICIANS

MELBOURNE with Kim Salmon (the Scientists), Parsnip & the Shifters

TOKYO with Guitar Wolf, the 5.6.7.8’s & Fifi (Teengenerate)

SAN FRANCISCO with the Okmoniks & Blag Dahlia

PARIS with Mary Bell, Ivan Le Terrible (Chrome Reverse) and Jon & the Vons

ROME with Giuda & Plutonium Baby

Valencia with Funtastic Dracula Carnival

OAKLAND with Shannon & the Clams and Tina Lucchesi (the Trashwomen)

BROOKLYN with Mystery Lights, Baby Shakes & Daddy Long Legs

OSAKA with King Brothers ...and more!

www.jetlagrnr.com

MEMPHIS MUSIC TRIVIA

1. When John Hampton engineered Songs the Lord Taught Us at Ardent Studios, he dubbed the Cramps:

a) “Performance art from New York that got famous as a band”

b)“The scariest thing I’ve seen or heard since Ross Johnson’s Naked Party”

c) “Billy Lee Riley gone goth”

d) “Something my childhood preacher warned me about: the coming of the antiChrist”

2. Willie Mitchell had an out-of-town gig scheduled the first week of April 1968. Facing the possibility of widespread rioting during the sanitation strike, which culminated in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, Mitchell:

a) Canceled the gig and sat outside Royal Studios in a lawn chair while cradling a loaded shotgun

b) Famously avowed that “the show must go on” and left town as scheduled

c) Holed up inside the studio with Ann Peebles, Al Green, and a family Bible

d) Purchased several cases of rotgut and rounded up winos to hold down the fort at Royal

3. A storefront in the same strip as the Lamplighter was once home to this iconic recording studio:

a) Steve Cropper’s Trans Maximus Inc.

b) saac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul

c) Roland Janes’ Sonic Recording

d) Stax Records, before the studio relocated to Soulsville

4. American Sound Studio at 827 Thomas St was where Elvis recorded “Suspicious Minds,” Dusty Springfield cut “Son of a Preacher Man,” and the Box Tops created “Cry Like a Baby.” Razed in 1989, the site is now the location of:

a) The Rally’s location that inspired the genesis of Earles & Jensen’s beloved crank phone calling character Bleachy

b) A Family Dollar store

c) The North Memphis headquarters of the Republican party

d) A combination BBQ-sushi-ice cream drive through restaurant

5. To rebuild its catalog after ceding its most valuable recordings to Atlantic Records and losing Otis Redding to a plane crash, in mid-1969, Stax Records released 27 albums and 30 singles recorded at its McLemore Ave studio, excluding:

a) The Goodees’ Candy Coated Goodees

b) Booker T & the MGs’ “The Horse”

c) The Mar-Keys’ Damnifiknow!

d) Janis Joplin’s “Try”

6. Hip hop legends 8Ball & MJG, who have recorded countless rhymes at Young Ave Sound just a few blocks east of Goner Records, met as a result of this effort to end segregation as established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964:

a) Their dads both worked at the FedEx hub

b) Each of their families relocated from Orange Mound to Midtown

c) They were both bussed out of Orange Mound to an East Memphis middle school

d) They met on the picket line for voting reform

Who said it?

1. “It ain’t always gonna be perfect, but it’s always worth it.”

2. “I used to stand in front of the mic and cry.”

3. “If I wouldn’t have found music, I’m sure I would’ve been a petty criminal.”

4. “I am a sound freak. I could play around with sound forever.”

5. “I’m a rock star. I can’t preach in nobody’s church. Are you crazy?”

6. “The best songs don’t get recorded, the best recordings don’t get released, and the best records don’t get played.”

7. “I’m a conversationalist. I came out of a town with only 300 people; I didn’t have anybody to talk to [and] I didn’t want to talk about farming. So when I came out into the world, I started talking. Never stopped!”

8. “Even the best, happiest-sounding song has dark overtones. Hate and anger really inspire beautiful songs.”

9. “I think there is a curse on Memphis that spreads a collective blight over everything that happens here, particularly in the realm of music making.”

10. “Through my grandmama, I heard Hank Williams and Merle Haggard. My dad was into jazz and soul music. Then I went to Melrose High School, where I played trumpet in the marching band.”

11. “I guess my life has been a series of flukes in the record business. The first thing I ever did was the biggest record that I’ll ever have!”

12. “I came up with Roy Acuff and Hank Williams. That was my era!”

13. “I’ve got a lot of songs about having fun and partying, but it’s a lot of work.”

14. “The extent of my dream was to sing on the radio station in Memphis!”

15. “Sometimes, man, you just get tired of fighting and trying to prove yourself.”

Jim Dandy Mangrum

Isaac Hayes

Juicy J

Carla Thomas

Alex Chilton

Johnny Cash

Sam Phillips

Jay Reatard

Marlon Jermaine

“MJG” Goodwin

Al Green

Ike Turner

Jim Dickinson

Tommy Wright III

Ross Johnson

Alicja Trout

GONERFEST 20 CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWERS ON PAGE 73

THANKS

FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR COMING

TO GONERFEST. We appreciate the effort it took to decide to come here, plan the trip, and actually do it! We have made it to #20 with so much help and support from all the bands and fans and friends from Memphis and around the world. 20 fests! As Brisbane’s pot-bellied Swim Coach / Barrister / Cosmic Psychos guitarist Mad Macka would say, “UNREAL!”

Big thanks to Stacy Kiehl & Sara Moseley for the graphics and merch designs, as well as stage decorations and myriad other cool design choices. We look fabulous and it’s all because of you!

Thanks to our Goner staff for working through all the ridiculous logistics Gonerfest creates, especially Alec McIntyre and Cole Wheeler, but also Billups, and Dane for dealing with everything at the store as we rush around making Gfest happen. Thanks to Dan Holloway for handling the music industry wheeling and dealing and Andrew McCalla for once again making the fest sound so good! Great to have Dustin Crops & Edan Wilbur on board, too! Thanks to Bailey Sattler for letting everyone know about the fest. Thanks again to Brent Shrewsbury for coordinating the Gonerfest Stream, a massive undertaking. Film industry folks, hire Brent! Thanks to all the folks who lent a hand with camera work or

behind the scenes livestream action. Thanks to all the livestreamers! We love being able to reach out and have a worldwide audience in real time!

Thanks to Marsh Nabors, for the great online animations & graphics. Thanks to Lensrentals for help with the video this year! If you need a/v gear for a short time, hit ‘em up! Like ZZ Top, they’re bad, they’re Nationwide.

Thanks to Railgarten for putting us on, for listening to all our crazy ideas and never blinking. Brandon Seavers at Memphis Record Pressing obviously is insane because no one else could put up with all the stuff Goner puts him through, and he is always helping us out of jams we make for ourselves. The GF20 records and tote bags rule!

Thanks to Drew and Andy at Memphis Made Brewery, the greatest partner a festival could have. Beer + Music still works! We are still so excited to have our own Gonerfest beer: Golden Pass! SO COOL! Thank you, guys!

Thanks again to Corkey Sinks for program layout, Karl Baioni at EM Printing, Miguelito at Five In One Printing for the amazing posters. Every year these things just about kill us, but every year it’s worth it! We might not have hair left, but we’ve got program guides and posters!

Thanks to all the DJs and MCs for adding their own flair to the

THANKS

proceedings and keeping it interesting from start to finish. Important jobs! Buy em drinks!

Thanks to everyone for helping source the Osees gear requests and Will Floyd for the backline & PA help.

Thanks to Central Station for again being our home base and hosting the Early Sign-In on Thursday. Thanks to Memphis Tourism, Tamara & The Cooper Young Business Association, Ron & The Paynes at Paynes BBQ, Eric at The BBQ Shop, Tim Sampson at Stax, Crosstown Arts, Unapologetic crew for endless inspiration & motivation, Paul Wiseman for t-shirt printing, Karen Carrier at DKDC and Beauty Shop always, Devinn for check in help, and all the bars and folks organizing afterparties to keep the party going into the night! Thanks to Young Avenue Sound, Guaranty Bank, Downtown Memphis Commission, WYXR FM, and the Memphis Flyer. Thanks to all the volunteers, bartenders, food truckers, clean up crews, Lyft & Uber & taxi drivers, booking agents, caterers, publicists, door people, beer sellers, Event Ticketing Shopify app folks, and everyone at our streaming site who helped us make the online event happen. Thanks to Andria Lisle, Jared Boyd, Bill Webb, Jr, and Robert Gordon for their Gonerfest Guide contributions. No thanks to ChatGPT: I tried to get it to write this guide and

it wasn’t up to the task. Maybe next year. Thanks to Goner intern Calista Byrd for bearing with the madness and not running away screaming. Thanks to our families who haven’t seen us for a few months as we got ready for the fest. Thanks to Hoppe, Jungle Jeff, Harlan, and Timebomb Tom. Thanks to Scott Rogers & Tommy Trouble. Thanks to Jay, Sarah, Louie, Shawn, Muddy Spear, Drewbie and all the Goners we lost along the way. Thanks to Benny & Jonathan & Charles & everyone who has hosted Gonerfest events over the years. All hail the Buccaneer, Murphys, the Hi Tone, Memphis Made, and Two Chicks & A Broom on Cooper. Tuff Bananas! Ryan Wong. Dan Garber. Thanks to all the folks we’re forgetting because we always do forget people because it takes SO MANY PEOPLE to make this thing happen. As always THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU! We know there’s a reason people come back year after year and it’s not just the great music- it’s the great people and the great atmosphere. Keep the fire burning! Thank You!

Please go back safely to where you came from and tell them you had a great time. Hopefully we will see you again next year for Gonerfest 21. Can you believe it- the festival will be finally old enough to drink!

Stay safe and take care!

Autographs