Your Guide To Fun Fun Fun Fest
Although SXSW gets all of the buzz, there is good music to be had in Austin year-round–and no music festival drives that point home quite like Fun Fun Fun Fest. The annual three-day party (now in its seventh year) is among our winter faves, and this year should be no different; everyone from Santigold to Girl Talk to X are slated to play.
But like most festivals, you can’t see everyone…so to help you sort out your schedule, we thought there was nobody better to ask for advice than the creators of the festival themselves, Graham Williams and James Moody of Transmission Entertainment. Here’s their insider opinion on this year’s super-fun Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Which up-and-coming bands are you most looking forward to having play the fest this year?
James Moody: I like Diamond Rugs (dudes from Deer Tick, Black Lips, Dead Confederate), Off!, The Golden Boys, Nicky Da B, Cheap Girls, Ceremony, Marriage, Spraypaint, The Young, and Helio Sequence, which isn’t really up and coming band but whatever.
Graham Williams: So many this year: Nicky da B, The Young, and all the above. I agree with Moody on locals like Orthy, Dallas’ A.Dd+ are hot hip hop right now, dance-y acts like Tanlines, Charli XCX, and Trust, awesome new hip-hop like Schoolboy Q and Danny Brown, who is a personal fave, lots of great bands on FFF Nites like Dikes of Holland. Moody mentioned Marriage, Spraypaint, some cool new young punk acts like FIDLAR, Joyce Manor. Bands like Twin Sister or Jezabels are cool and new, too.
Who are some of your personal favorites from the Blue Stage?
JM: Danny Brown, Trust, De La Soul, Astronautalis, Rakim, Orthy, Diamond Rings.
GW: Danny Brown for sure. I want to see Charli XCX live, as I’ve heard good things. I’m also a fan of old school hip-hop, so De La Soul, Bun B, and Rakim are up there. AraabMUZIK was great at Coachella, and I want to see him again.
The Orange Stage?
JM: Run DMC will be on this stage this year, so yeah. PiL, Superchunk, Black Angels, Promise Ring, and Bob Mould too.
GW: Moody and I agree on a lot of them as our top picks. Run DMC, obviously. PiL, Superchunk, Promise Ring, Braid, Santigold for sure.
The Black Stage?
JM: Refused, Converge, Youth of Today, Municipal Waste, The Spits, Tia Carrera.
GW: X doing Los Angeles in its entirety, Youth of Today, Converge, Seaweed, Napalm Death, The Briefs, Japandroids, Red Fang. Man, that stage is stacked this year!
The Yellow Stage?
JM: Hannibal Burress, Disappears, Mortified, Eugene Mirman.
GW: David Cross and Hannibal Burress are my two favorite comics, so them at the top. I’m a Daily Show addict, so Wyatt Cenac will be fun too. Tons of great locals this year, as well. Plus we have a few bands closing out the stage after sundown that are great, like Black Moth [Super Rainbow] and Nomeansno, for example.
Anything else people can’t miss?
JM: Delicious tacos launched into the air from a giant Gatling gun that is the size of a Smart Car. Wizards will be there. There will be a photo booth in a port-a-potty. We have a mobile golf cart bar. Possibly bathroom attendants with Drakkar Noir and breath mints. It’s a classy event.
GW: Obviously that taco cannon is a new feature–me and my friends from the street like to refer to it as “off the chain.” All that stuff Moody said, and some of last year’s classics like mechanical bull rides, wrestling matches, etc. Oh, and no dust, as the park is covered in thick green grass. You’re welcome.
What’s the secret to making your Fun Fun Fun Fest experience live up to its name?
JM: Get there early. Wear good shoes. Update your smartphone app fully before the fest. Get a Misprint guide when you get there. Instead of plotting what you want to see, plot the moments where you know you won’t be seeing anything. Use those moments to grub and chug. Wear a onesie jumpsuit. If it gets hot, just cut off the legs and arms.
GW: Always take breaks. People try and stand through a whole fest, but sitting down and grabbing food or a drink or reading our Misprint FFF guide/zines for 15 minutes is a great way to re-charge. Remember the stages aren’t far apart, like some of the bigger fests, so if two bands you like have competing set times, you can always watch of half of two sets, worst case. Check out the non-music stuff: The skate/bike ramp is going to be insane this year, the poster show always rules, and the local retail and food vendors are going to be better than ever this year. Oh, and like Moody said, download that FFF app. It’s amazing and simple at the same time. And remember, FFF Nites keeps the party going and is 100-percent free with your wristbands, so worth hitting the venues right after the park if you’re a true fest trooper.
For full lineup and ticketing information, check out the Fun Fun Fun Fest website. See you in the pit! –TIFFANY TSO
PS: Tiffany writes our Austin NYLON Daily newsletter–sign-up to get her awesome, in-the-know tips on the right side of this screen!