Sean Carlson crafts a 'stache out of Keith Morris' dreads
(Credit: Jeremy and Claire Weiss)
Moments later, the peachy-faced, gangly boy comes in with a fistful of flyers, and a Circle Jerk in tow. Keith Morris, co-curator of the 2-day music and arts orgy and former Black Flag singer, staggers in behind him with waist-length dreadlocks and Harry Potter-esqe specs, which are mended with gaffer's tape.
We snag a table near the back to chat about the the festival's origins and this year's line up, which is an indie rocker's wet dream: a rare reunion of Fuse, plus The Explosion, Lavender Diamond, Entrance, Busdriver, Imaad Wasif, Deerhunter, Midnight Movies and Great Northern. Mr. Show's Bob Odenkirk is even popping by for the comedy portion. Then we ask the barely-legal brain behind the operation how the f*ck he's pulling this off.
Where did you get the impetus to put this thing on?
Sean Carlson: In 2003, I was on tour with a band and in Gainesville, there was The Fest, but it was all one-style music. And when I got back to L.A., I thought it would be great adding comedy and music, making much more diverse of a line-up. A lot of [L.A.] bands never play with each other. The Smell bands play at The Smell, the Echo bands play on the east side, the west side bands stay over there.
Keith Morris: I happened to show up to one of the fests and it reminded me of all the best aspects of punk rock. I fell in love with all of the chaos.
SC: Every venue got shut down the first year. I had no idea what I was doing. I was 18 at the time; it was a complete clusterfuck.
KM: He did it at the Echo, and I'm surprised they allowed him to ever come back...
SC: (Laughs) I couldn't go back to the Echo for a while after that. And that first year, there was a stage behind Sea Level [Records] which was just like, a PA with an extension cord going into the shop.
KM: Well, the space behind Sea Level Records—what else is it good for? Except for like...
Urinating?
KM: Yes. Drinking, urinating, and sleeping next to the dumpster.
So where did the name originate from, and how big of a problem has that been in practical terms?
SC: Yeah, it's funny you ask. Scott Martin, who's now in 400 Blows, called me and said: "Hey what's the name of this festival—I need to make flyers." And I said, "I don't know... How about 'Fuck Yeah?'" and he said "Fuck yeah!" I said "No no no no"... and then it was like, "Yeah okay…Fuck Yeah Fest."
KM: So if we get into any trouble with the name, it will all be because of Scott Martin. Blame it all on him.
SC: The first year there were no problems with the name, but the second year, a couple days after the festival, I got an email from Liz at the Echo and she said "You can't have it called Fuck Yeah Fest ever again." There were so many complaints because I put posters on every single street corner with big bold letters…mothers with kids were getting upset. Which is why it has an F and a splatter now.
KM: They were just upset because they didn't win the lottery. If they had won the lottery, then they'd understand. If they found a grocery bag filled with thousand dollar bills, then these posters would be the least of their worries.
And the art this year, where is that going to show?
SC: Actually, this year we gave 40 extra large white T-shirts to artists. We told them they could do anything they wanted to these T-shirts as long as they're wearable. Then we're giving them to kids who will be wearing them, traveling around the fest, taking the art out of the galleries. And everyone wearing T-shirts will be under 22 years old, so these kids will have a lot of energy; they'll be dancing...
KM (laughing): Not under 21, under 22.
SC: People under 22 still have a lot of energy.
How old are you now?
SC: 22.
Next year it'll be 23?
SC: No. (laughing) There won't be a next year. Oh, and we're also using the place called BBC in Echo Park, putting up art in there, and putting art up in Rico's store. (To Keith) What's Rico's store called?
KM: Ummm…"Rico's store?"
How do you curate the artists?
SC: We're very open to it. We had a two-day period where if you wanted to be part of it you could just contact me and I'd send you a T-shirt. Then I asked Travis Millard, Mechgod...I asked like 10 well-known artists and the rest were just young kids. That's what excites kids, for them to be a part of something. There are so many random people (laughing)— I don't even know half of them.
What about curating the comedy?
SC: I did a big comedy show in SXSW this year with David Cross called "Mess with Texas" and that's how Bob Odenkirk got involved this year. And Jonah [Ray] has always been a part of the fest. I tell him a few [well-known] comedians I like, and he picks the smaller ones.
KM (deadpans): Smaller, like the guys that are 5'2", 5'1"...
And you two curate the music together? It's ridiculous how good the line up is.
SC: It's taken us about 7 months… it came together very slowly. A lot of these bands are from different parts of the country and have never played in L.A., so no one knows about them. We spend a lot of time getting the right bands, bands that we really like, that no one has heard of, which is a big risk for us. But people usually see them and become fans.
When you started the fest, did you ever think you'd be doing a fourth year?
I don't know what I was thinking... (laughs) I just wanted to eat breakfast the next day.
F*ck Yeah Fest runs in four Echo Park locations on August 25-26. Tickets are a reasonable $13 per day, and $1 is donated to 826LA and Friends of The L.A. River. Check out our curated list of must-see bands, as well as the full line-up and ticket info at http://www.fuckyeahfest.com.
Alie Ward is Events editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
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