New Meltdown in Mosswood Park
from the worlds of punk, doo-wop, and more, acts from Iggy Pop to Mavis Staples have all performed at Mosswood Park in Oakland as part of Total Trash’s independently produced music festival. Featuring beloved local filmmaker and expert filth monger John Waters as the affair’s perennial host, Burger Boogaloo quickly became an off-kilter mainstay of the Bay Area’s summer calendar after launching in 2009.
Then, in 2020, during substantial political and social upheaval headlined by the #MeToo movement and protests against police brutality, multiple allegations of sexual abuse against Burger Records and the bands it represented led Ribak and Carver to sever ties with the Southern California garage rock label.
Rebranded as Mosswood Meltdown, the new incarnation of the festival was conceived during the earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Set to be headlined by none other than Bikini Kill — whom Ribak says he eventually reached through a connection with British 1970s punk band the Raincoats — the festival was originally planned for Halloween 2020. When COVID cases surged, it was postponed to July 2021, then postponed again to this summer.
In the interim, Total Trash Productions was able to mount a separate event at the park, called Halloween Meltdown, in October. Featuring Waters in his signature emcee role, that two-day affair welcomed acts like Osees, the Mummies and the Gories, among others, and included signs throughout the festival grounds reminding attendees that “inappropriate touching, sexual harassment or racism” would result in an immediate ejection.
But now, at long last, Ribak’s dream of seeing Bikini Kill shred his festival’s stage is on the precipice of becoming reality. This weekend, Mosswood Meltdown — the 11th edition of the festival overall — plans to showcase performances from the riot grrrl icons as well as another artist from Ribak’s memorable 1995 concert: Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon. Joining these headliners are teen rock prodigies the Linda Lindas, Shannon Shaw, Bleached, Hunx and His Punx, and many more. As always, Waters is expected to be on hand as master of ceremonies.
Split across two stages at opposite ends of the park, festivalgoers with enough stamina can theoretically see every performing artist listed. And if that’s not enough, once the park lights go dark attendees are encouraged to go to one of Mosswood Meltdown’s nightly afterparties at nearby Eli’s Mile High Club.
With tickets available day-of only for $5 each on a first come, first served basis, nightcap performances from acts like Snooper and Twompsax offer an intimate opportunity to get wild and sweaty alongside several festival acts. These shows will be joined by the official grand reopening of Thee Stork Club on Friday, July 1.
A collaboration between Ribak and Eli’s Mile High Club owners Billy Joe Agan and Matt Patane, Thee Stork Club’s revival comes after the venue announced in 2020 that it would be closed for good. Asked what it will mean to be able to see the doors of the club open once again, new co-owner Agan dared to be a bit optimistic.
“It means there are still lunatics like us that will risk opening a bar and venue in a pandemic and recession,” Agan said. “But it also means that Oakland nightlife is recovering and going to roar back.”
The roar begins on Friday night with a solo appearance from Shaw (of Shannon and the Clams fame) and Waters. Notably, the latter’s filmography (“Cry Baby,” “Pink Flamingos,” “Polyester”) is credited with inspiring the bar’s new decor, which embodies the best traits of a 1970s dive bar.
Moving forward, Ribak hopes to utilize Thee Stork Club as a yearround venue for shows that will appeal to fans of the Mosswood Meltdown scene. He also confirms that another edition of Halloween Meltdown will hit Mosswood Park on Oct. 8-9.
But for the moment, his focus remains on preparing for this weekend and the moment when a small swath of green at the edge of downtown Oakland will transform into a vibrant community of music-loving castoffs.
“Every time I have the opportunity to do another production, I’m so grateful for it,” he said. “People come into the park, and they’re dressed up and having fun and dancing. It brings a certain color to the park, and I can’t wait to see it again this weekend.”