Today/Tomorrow: 5th Annual Afropunk Music / Film Festival 2009- Day 1 (July 4th)

[Jon 2morrow]

Saturdays has always been the day to sit out in the sun and feel its rays upon a soon to be tanned skin. Afropunk has always given you something else to do with that spare time by offering this year three days of music, drinks, sports and a good time with complete strangers.


Afropunk commenced the 4th of July with the grand opening of the skate park , allowing those who can skate access to the park while having the beginners learn a thing or two in the Afropunk skate clinic. The skate pros from the 5 Boros taught the skaters new skills upon their journey while Mountain Dew and Pepsi gave everyone a great thirst quencher for the July heat. Phase two of the festival gained way, as the first band was about to perform in what looked like the middle of the skate park.

When first viewing this unique combination between skaters and fans, you realize that a fan were within inches from getting clipped by a pro or beginner skater. When actually witnessing Jesse Nobody or oOohh Baby Gimme Mores perform on top of a skate vert platform that was no longer than the length of the Empire State building elevator, you see the connection that fits perfectly to Afropunk, having a nice mix between skater and fan. The vert platform stage also gave time for the next band on the main stage to set up, sound check and perform just in time, keeping the fans there for the entire evening.

Kicking off the festival, The Objex kept the energy they created at the Epic/ Smash pre- festival a few days ago only to pour it all over new fans that never came to a festival like this before. Canada’s oOohh Baby Gimme Mores arrived on the skate vert platform with more than just a guitar and a drum set. Picture if you will a tango between the raw garage rock of The White Stripes with the dance rock of The Rapture and you get this dance punk band, making the fans laugh at their lyrics while maintaining the rhythm the band provided through their feet.

Funk Face gave the fans what the oOohh Baby Gimme Mores gave in the second stage, combing the influences of Rage Against the Machine, James Brown inspired funk with a touch of ska. The sound is actually what you expect from a band that is called Funk Face. It only gave fans and newbies a couple of seconds to realize how powerful Funk Face were as they performed a number of songs, one in dedication to all the big girls.


American fang made it three for three for outstanding performances, taking center stage at Epic/Smash pre festival a few days before the festival, performing twice in that night. That didn’t stop them from producing the same intense energy on a summer Independence day at Afropunk. The pit wasn’t anything new to American Fang as the wave of fans young and old gave themselves a mosh pit workout they all can remember.

The pit only grew from American Fang, gravitating a bigger pit once Game Rebellion truck kicked the Afropunk doors off its hinges, supplying Game Rebellion classics throughout the second half of the festival. When witnessing the hurricane of Game Rebellion you usually come across the traditional nosedives into the fans, by the fans themselves. Game Rebellion left the stage to have Stinker and the band set the stage, making the performance of 1970s punk legends Pure Hell one of the standouts of the festival.

Watching Stinker and the boys do what they do best gave bands like Game Rebellion, Funk Face and the Objex a thing to be proud about being that they were on the same bill with such a legendary group. The event concluded with Whole Wheat Bread, giving fans a few classics ranging from punk rock to dirty south hip-hop. The spotlight of their performance was witnessing the tidal wave of fans during their cover of Rage Against the Machines, “Bulls on Parade”, a standard to any Whole Wheat Bread concert.

Within the spirit of all the black legends past and present, from Jimi Hendrix to the late Micheal Jackson, Afropunk seems to be the most positive event for a sunny forth of July. And we didn’t even need fireworks.

Check out the photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Photo credit:
Kamikaze

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