Punk in the Park Hosts SoCal Local Bands and Breweries at Oak Canyon Park

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Punk in the Park at Oak Canyon Park

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Sunday, November 7, 2021

I always love events at Oak Canyon Park. They have a unique feeling of being isolated. No phone service, no businesses, no freeways; it’s like a mini vacation from the realities of life with good music and great people thrown in. A day away from stress with a few thousand of your closest friends (with a few knuckleheads for entertainment). From its start as a favored punk music location/venue, Oak Canyon Park has become a staple for concert promoters over about two decades. Punk in the Park brought the tradition of this legendary venue to a post-COVID ready world last weekend. With a stellar lineup of breweries that offered beer and cider tasting to an epic “who’s who” of garage punk bands gone legendary.

The promoters of Punk in the Park hammered out a stellar event. The lineup was ripe with Southern California local bands, keeping it a family affair that threw off an air of unity and SoCal pride. Though the Punk in the Park promoters did squeeze in some geographic transplants like the Riverboat Gamblers, our visiting cousins from Texas. Punk in the Park maintained a sense of rowdy with a constantly looming air of caution in the wake of the recent news of death tolls at crowded concert events. A day of drinking and mellow hanging out ended with the culminating bands hyping up the crowd and encouraging large pits, allowing for an event with something for everyone. It was a marathon, and everyone knew it, including the bands.

Here’s something you won’t hear out of me often, kudos to the event coordinators on their VIP area. You could actually watch the bands from the closed off area, a concern that many promoters ignore. The bathrooms were nice and well kept, Punk in the Park VIP had their own tasting booths and food vendors, and the security was tight on entry. Suggestions for next year, VEGAN OPTIONS PLEASE!

Early on Saturday the tone was set by Hilltop Rats and Raptors. Not to be outdone, Chaser had a large pit and the energy from the band left no doubt that debauchery was not far behind. With the tone set, The Last Gang brought a sense of professionalism and a sound and look that are unmistakably rock and roll. The OC locals promoted their new album while encouraging activism. With Fat Mike backstage, the band showcased their talents and sold me on the new releases. A highlight for me is always Riverboat Gamblers. Mike Wiebe’s energy is infectious; he is one of the best front men in the scene without a doubt. Guitarist, Fadi El-Assad, played a stellar set in a foot boot rested on a scooter after surgery on his Achilles Tendon, an injury he suffered at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas back in September, showing an impressive devotion to the band and the fans.

GUTTERMOUTH!! Yup, they were Guttermouth and that’s all I have to say about that. If you’ve seen them live, you know. Most notable in the Guttermouth lineup was Mr. Donald Horne, but I may be biased because I’m a huge fan of Los Mysteriosos!

Sunday at Punk in the Park did not disappoint. Left Alone’s easy to dance to ska sound was a great early afternoon performance and set an enthusiastic stage for Ignite who played their first show with their new singer. They sounded great and their following seemed happy with the new addition.

The highlight of the two-day Punk in the Park event was NOFX. NOFX played a flawless set to a crowd that, at this point in the weekend, was ready to blow off twenty months of quarantine steam. The event underwent a transformation the minute NOFX took the stage. Large pits sprang up instantaneously all over the large, crowded lawn area and the tightly packed front of the stage moved in unison for the entire show. NOFX was tight and clean. Mike was happy and it showed. The band seemed united, and their set was customized to the liking of the fans. Mike even appeared to steer away from the type of controversy that can get your band put on the back burner for a while, as he took special note of one man in the crowd who apparently rubbed him very wrong. In true Fat Mike fashion, he shot off a quick statement to anti-vaxers, “for 15 to 20 of you, NOFX will be your last concert” (implying they’d get COVID from the event and die). When Jefe scolded him, Mike shot back with, “We can’t get cancelled twice”. I don’t know Mike; as right as you might be about this one, let’s not test those waters!