September 12 & 13, 1998. The Black Swamp Arts Festival started in 1993, and by 1998 had expanded to include bands from the local scene. A small stage was set up at the north end of the brick alleyway beside Madhatter Music Co., and bands started around noon and continued on both the Saturday and Sunday until dinnertime.
The theatrics and controversy generated by this year's line-up led to the stage being moved indoors to Howard's Club H for subsequent festival weekends. Toledo's Rocket 88 wowed the early afternoon festival-goers, and Andy Crash and Mike Dooley's Three Quarter Tank mounted a veritable sonic blitzkreig, kicking their set off with Andy's infamous "Good morning Vietnam!" greeting.
Those who stuck around were treated to great performances by mainstays of the BG scene in the late-'90s; The Crabgrass Boys (Iain Ellis and Billy Hanway), El Racko (Zach Hill and Dan Horvath), Maji-12 (Jason Clever), Giraffe Boy (Brian Boes), Junior Electric (Tony Lowe, later of Fast Piece of Furniture) and Aloha (Matt Gengler, Tony Cavallario). Aloha, together just a year or so at the time of this performance, went on to enjoy a successful national indie-rock career on Polyvinyl Records.
Rocket 88 was not dressed in drag. They kicked some serious Puck-a-Billy ass. The Young Lords dressed in drag the year before.
ReplyDeleteI'm old and it was a long time ago.
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