So Cal Hoedown has punk, rock, rockabilly and country acts headed to San Pedro on Saturday
The So Cal Hoedown was canceled in 2020 and postponed from earlier this summer, but punk, rock, rockabilly and country acts are finally headed to San Pedro on Saturday for the fourth edition of the festival.
Organizers expect up to 7,000 people at the all-ages festival for a lineup of nearly two dozen bands including Suicidal Tendencies, Danish punk act Horrorpops, Austin-based alt-country singer Jesse Dayton, The Supersuckers and Victorville-born punk band Face to Face.
The Hoedown is among the first crop of music festivals to return after more than a year of pandemic-related lockdowns and cancellations.
While some other events require protocols like proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to enter, the Hoedown will be more lax due to the size of the venue and crowd, event producers said.
The fest is taking place in a 12acre space at the Port of Los Angeles that can hold 20,000 people, and capacity is being limited to 7,000 tickets, said Scott Tucker, one of the organizers.
The limited crowd means the festival doesn’t fall under current Los Angeles County mask mandates for events of 10,000 people or more.
“There is plenty of space to keep your distance. It’s on the ocean, which means the breeze will be blowing all day to keep you cool and blow germs away,” Tucker said, adding that the staff will do temperature checks at the door, but no proof of vaccination or negative tests or masks will be required.
Since this is a So Cal Hoedown, there will be a lot of hometown bands to see on the bill. So here are five locally rooted acts worth catching:
Suicidal Tendencies
THE DETAILS >> The hard-core punk and thrash metal band was formed in Venice in 1981 by frontman Mike Muir, who remains the sole original member. Right off the bat the band became hardcore royalty thanks to its 1983 self-titled debut album, which included the hit “Institutionalized.” MTV loved it and put the video for the song on heavy rotation, catapulting the band into mainstream success. No word yet, though, on whether Muir ever got that Pepsi he mentions in the song.
Face to Face
THE DETAILS >> Sure, the band has a coffee table book out and is more melodic than most punks, but Face to Face is still an in-yourface act. Formed in Victorville in 1991, Face to Face became one of the faces of the 1990s SoCal punk scene beloved by the Warped Tour crowds. It’s sure to connect with fans at the Hoedown when it plays “Disconnected,” one of its most popular hits. People can expect to hear new music too, since Face to Face has a new album out, “No Way Out But Through.”
TSOL
THE DETAILS >> True Sounds of Liberty, or TSOL, as they are best known, blasted out of Long Beach in 1978. The band started on the more goth side of punk, but over the years, its sound has varied as much as the lineup. Just be ready to jump in the pit like your life depends on it for “Code Blue,” one of the band’s best-known tunes from its debut album. Actually, COVID-19 is still out there, so make sure it’s a safely distanced pit.
Fishbone
THE DETAILS >> Formed in L.A. in 1979, the band’s set is always ground zero for a party, thanks to hyperactive performances that mix ska, funk, punk and rock sounds. Fishbone’s catalog is filled with party music, and the life of this musical party is arguably “Party at Ground Zero,” a song that makes it pretty much impossible not to party. Party on.
Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs
THE DETAILS >> According to lead singer and Long Beach resident Frank Meyer, this hard-touring and even harder-partying punk band that formed in Studio City in 1995 is pretty much a harder, louder and drunker version of Cheap Trick. So you can even expect them at the bar during last call after they perform songs from their new album, “One More Drink.”