We met up with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes at Riot Fest this year and talked with singer Spike Slawson. We discussed their latest collection of cover songs, Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!, as well as a range of other topics that spanned the punk rock supergroup’s two-decade-plus career. We asked Slawson about the band’s process for choosing songs, what his favorite ones are to sing, if they’ve ever heard back from any of the artists they’ve covered and more. We also spoke about The Gimmes’ upcoming greatest hits record, which they plan on releasing in 2017.
Photos by Katie Hovland
The first day of Riot Fest began somewhat ominously, with cloudy skies and forecasted showers, but after a brief spell of light rain from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, the skies cleared and sunshine remained for the duration of the festival. This was a huge change from the previous two years, where heavy rains and an abundance of mud unfortunately dominated the weekends. This year’s event marked the second time that Riot Fest was held in Douglas Park, and while the grounds proved to be a very adequate space last year, the festival’s organizers did an even better job this time around of maximizing the park’s space. They managed to create an open layout that allowed for easy movement between stages and also minimized excess sound from bleeding into unintended areas. Another positive was the emphasis on local businesses, specifically the beer tents named after establishments like Liar’s Club, Double Door, Cobra Lounge and All Rise Brewing. There were also great local food options, like Reggie’s, Taco In A Bag and others. Despite Riot Fest continuing to grow markedly in size every year, it really doesn’t feel like a giant, corporate-sponsored festival and it definitely hasn’t lost sight of its roots. Loyal attendees return every September to find that the bar has once again been significantly raised and the original spirit of the event still very much intact. Continue Reading…