Vacaville’s Missing Scene
Part One: What It Was…
By Danny Bernardini & Charlie Hanks Being an alternative music magazine printed in Vacaville, it’s only fair that Fringe cover the Vacaville music scene. In this task came a daunting realization; the Vacaville scene is seriously lacking and not half of what it used to be. So, as the first music magazine out of Vacaville, we figured it was our duty to find out what happened to the scene and what we need to do to get it back. For those who weren’t here during the days that the Three Oaks Community Center in Vacaville was a packed house, it may be hard to believe there was a thriving music scene in Vacaville. Starting with smaller shows headlined by local legends Papa Roach, the venue was soon turned into a showcase for bands from all over the west coast attracting such acts as Incubus, Deftones and Alien Ant Farm. Supplementing the shows at Three Oaks were intimate gatherings in the rehearsal room at Live Music Center, then located on Alamo Dr. just across from the community center. Also mixed in were outdoor, all-day festival type shows at Pena Adobe Park between Vacaville and Fairfield. Combined with a couple small venues in Fairfield and backyard parties, Vacaville bands had ample all-age venues that were hosting monthly, if not weekly concerts. To fully grasp the feel of what it was like then, Fringe sat down with Malcontent to talk about the scene then, and what became of it. Logging more than 10 years playing in and out of their home town of Vacaville, the members of Malcontent all played in bands that shared the stage during that period. Playing in bands like EMB and Execution Style, the guys saw the scene from another perspective. “When there was the scene, you couldn’t go to a show in Sac or SF that was as good as here,” said Brice Mosher, former EMB front-man. “That was the pinnacle. That’s when all the local kids opened their eyes.” Having Papa Roach around created an anchor for local shows and an attraction for bands outside the area to come to Vacaville. Mosher said bands had a guaranteed 300- 500 people in the building, which also meant more merchandise sales. Drummer Matty Goss, who saw the scene at its highest while playing with Execution Style, said it started going downhill around 1998 and 1999 when Papa Roach was signed and left the area to record and tour. “I think it was when Papa Roach left,” Goss said. “The bands weren’t sticking together as much. Papa Roach was holding all the fans together. Everybody went to shows and everyone got along.” Guitarist Anthony Ferrentino also said there was a void left after P-Roach’s departure. “When P-Roach got signed, every band kind of turned for themselves,” he said. The tight knit Vacaville music scene family became every band for themselves. Goss said his band attracted the straight-edge and hardcore fans which didn’t exactly mesh with fans of EMB who were writing songs about “smoking weed and doing hallucinogenics.” The mixture of the two crowds soon led to some fights during community center shows and at times, Ferrentino said, were being policed by teenagers hired as security. “If you went to a show there in the past, there was always security,” he said. “However, when you have kids working security, you are asking for trouble.” The venues worked through the kinks and continued to do shows, but with a local promoter bouncing back and forth to Los Angeles and less commitment by the city, shows started to dwindle. Ferrentino recalled one instance in 2004 where a child was hurt and feels that was responsible for the cancellation of all-ages shows at the community center. “There was a mosh pit and this kid had been taking pills. He hurt his back and was laying on the floor,” he said. “Next thing you know we’re being waved off. The ambulance came and the show was over.” “And Three Oaks was over,” added Mosher. Shows were scarce after that. Continued Next Month: “What it currently is and What it could be…”
Like your piece on the local music scene although you have completely skipped ahead to the end. Before my band, Tijuana Gasser, entered the scene in 1993 a few of our guys were playing in punk bands such as “The Subjects” and ” The Stillborns”. THen after that there were other punk bands like “Tijuana Gasser” and “Satyr” along with hardcore dudes like “Skeptic”. Tijuana gasser asked Papa Roach to play at my 21st B-Day bash @ Andrews park and they looked like deer in the headlights. So please don’t allow Papa Roach to wave the banner of the Vacaville music scene alone. We all had, and still do have, a part in it Papa Roach just worked a hell of alot harder than the rest of us for what they got. So I am sending you a copy of Tijuana Gasser’s new release ” Bombing Beijing” and thanks for your hard work in keeping the scene alive.
Joe Edwards
Tijuana Gasser
Wow that black and white pic at the top of your article ,I really to believe to be the bass player “Lou” from the “beverly beer bellies”.
long live the locals “tiajauna gasser” &”left turn at venus”(from Vacaville) “Tokenyoko”(from Davis)” Cut out shapes” and “individuals union” (fairfield).
What Vacaville needs is a real promoter and a decent venue to throw shows. I’ve tried to help out there in Vacaville for the past few years but a certain someone never returns calls, networks or is interested in having the local music scene come alive again. I bet you if I were booking in Vacaville I would be packing the house every weekend. The rockers, punks and metal heads of Vacaville would beat the shit out of the locals where I book shows “Woodland and Davis” Vacaville deserves more than what you have as of right now. If anybody knows of a venue, let me know and I’ll book it.
Cheers Fuckers, Spicoli
what did happen? where did it all go? left the state? i cant even find too many good bands around anymore. i think the music kids are pumpin out these days have less drive then a v.w. on crack.
what? about a good promoter? im ashamed. fact is…getting local bands to play actively stay true to “music” and now just image. its hard to do.
this is mostly because of those in charge. you got alotta stuck up idiots in office and within the city limits that have such a tight wound idea of whats “right”.
can you blame them? look at the three oaks. back in the day of the police sanctioned shows (p.a.l.) they only booked bands like sorry about the fire, papa roach, and such because the late 90’s idea of what “hard core” was took a hard look around and over did the whole thing and got most places to blackball the heck outta those kids/bands.
honestly, i loved execution style and monster squad who somehow maintained some kinda underground blood. and while alot of social inequalities transpired around this time most bands ended up slowing down the cords and went emo on our arses.
shows over. mainstream kicked in and kids stoped playing punk and metal cross over platform of styles.
everyone wanted “one sound” instead of just merging ideas from various musicians who loved to play and “just wanted to play”.
if you kids (under 21) can ever catch an all ages show, look to “THE JIM ROWDY SHOW” because over the years they have maintained their musical structure and “show” fact is you cant beat the “rock and role” sound, and thats what a scene is.
so until the next big “rock and role swindle” pops around the mid nor cal area….keep roamin, because youll find it.
get some kids together to meet others and go to other shows in the surrounding citys and ask those “great” bands to come out to v.v. book the shows YOU want to hear.
AND FOR GODS SAKE!…a scene is only what you make of it.
so dont fret….join the revolution.
kasperjames
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