Joshua Kinser
Published: September 28, 2005
On Friday, Sept. 31 and Saturday, Oct. 1 Jefferson Street, outside Pensacola’s Seville Quarter, will be taken over by the best local and regional rock bands for RocktoberFest, a free outdoor concert featuring the winners and nominees of The Independent’s “In Music Awards.”
Seville Quarter, The Independent News and TK101 have joined forces for the two-day event and are throwing one huge free concert.
Every year The Independent News loads a ballot with local bands and lets its readers vote for their favorite nominees. The result is an awards show that brings Pensacola’s greatest talent together and this year brings a party to the streets of downtown Pensacola.
“We are going to make this (Rocktoberfest) one huge block party instead of just a show,” Sam Baltrusis, A&E Editor of Independent News said. “Our job is to basically bring people and bands together and rock out.”
Posters for the event crowd Baltrusis’ desk at the office of The Independent News. CDs of local bands are stacked high on a filing cabinet to his right. Over the sounds of furious typing and random rock streaming from the radio, Baltrusis reflects on the amount of work that has gone into this event and into supporting and solidifying the local music scene as a whole.
“I’ve counted over 3,721 ballots, and we’re not the only ones working hard. TK101 has really been very supportive of the local music scene over the past year. This year’s Springfest was a lot more supportive of the local music scene than in years past. People are really stepping up and supporting the local music scene and helping it improve dramatically.”
The first night of rock n’ roll on Friday will feature these new and dramatic improvements to the music scene with a special night devoted to “The best Newcomers” nominees. Starting at 6 p.m., The Hairpin Murders, Kevin Larson Band, Six O’ Clock Shadow and Endings Edge will all perform on the hour before TK101 reveals the mysterious headlining act at 10 p.m.
Saturday’s events will kick off at 4 p.m. with an awards ceremony followed by a full day of award winning and nominated local favorites. Chad Bishop, American Suicide, Below the Stitch, Deadly Fists of Kung Fu, 60 Cycles of Sound, Terrific Kid and Glory of This are scheduled to perform. Regional music scene staples Cruiserweight and Five Eight fill the night and Jefferson Street with music through the midnight hour.
While Rocktoberfest has been compared to the local festivals Jazzfest and Springfest, Rocktoberfest has an agenda that sets it apart from these other annual music festivals.
“Our focus is 100 percent on original local bands,” Baltrusis said.
Musicians are not overlooking the pivotal role that this awards show and The Independent News plays in bringing a voice to local musicians whose message and music may have otherwise been overlooked and underestimated.
A.J. “Rage A” Fratto’s local group Below the Stitch has been nominated for the “Best Metal Hardcore” group and is scheduled to perform on Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
“(The Independent) gives us a voice. Shows us someone cares about all us starry-eyed kids trying to reach the goal,” Fratto said.
Chad Bishop describes his music as “a blend of Americana and folk with some Indie inflection.” Bishop, who is scheduled to kick off the free show with a performance at 4:15 p.m. and has been nominated for “best vocalist,” “Album of the year,” and “best folk/indie group” echoes Fratto’s response to In Music Award nominations.
“I was thrilled to see that a local rag took interest in our album. It’s nice to know someone has the ear to the ground. I think the Independent gives marginalized musicians a voice and an opportunity to get seen and heard by folks they otherwise would not reach,” Bishop said.
The local music scene will not be hard to find during the Rocktoberfest weekend. If you want a thorough overview of what’s happening in local rock n’ roll and have an aching to support local musicians, head out to Jefferson Street by Seville Quarter and enjoy the free outdoor concert all weekend long.