This Friday and Saturday, April 18 and 19, eight nationally-recognized independent bands will grace the stage near Mendocino for the second annual Awesome Fest, presented by the Honorable Mention Collective. The festival will take place in California’s smallest city, Point Arena, in the 1928 Art Deco-style Arena Theatre.
The festival will include five Bay Area acts — Girls, The Morning Benders, Port O’Brien, Adam Stevens (of Two Gallants) and The Oh Sees — and three others — Chief from NYC, Golden Animals and The Growlers, both from LA. The festival creators pride themselves on putting together an all-star indie lineup while still being able to maintain the DIY, independent and personal form.
The featured bands are certainly none to take lightly. East Bay band The Morning Benders, who also played last year’s Awesome Fest, will bring their sentimental indie pop accompanying UK indie sensations and fellow +1 Records band The Kooks on a number of stops across the country — many of which are already sold out. The Morning Benders will release their debut album Talking Through Tin Cans on May 6.
Port O’Brien has a very busy year ahead of them, starting with the release of their debut studio album All We Could Do Was Sing. They will tour with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and stop in Barcelona for the Primavera Festival to share the stage with Portishead, Devo, Cat Power and Animal Collective, among others. Likewise, The Oh Sees will spend most of May and June in Europe, promoting their just-released album The Masters Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In.
Alas, Awesome Fest provides a rare glimpse at a gaggle of bands that could easily be stolen away by the international music machine, but at the moment are just up Highway 1. The festival costs $25 per day or $45 for both days. You can purchase tickets at brown paper tickets.
