Feature / Music
Fest 10th anniversary: Fests 1-3 remembered

August 31, 2011

Fest 10th anniversary: Fests 1-3 remembered
Fest 10th anniversary: Fests 1-3 remembered

fest_hp.jpg

The Fest in Gainesville has become an institution, and Scene Point Blank has hit numbers 6-9 and lived to tell the tale. As the event is celebrating their tenth anniversary with an alumni theme, SPB decided to catch up with some of the old timers to see what they remember about their experiences.

To kick off our countdown, we talked with Fest founder Tony Weinbender in length. As is the nature of planning, several changes have occurred since our conversation, the most notable being the re-opening of venue Common Grounds, albeit with a new name: Double Down. Rather than edit for updates, Scene Point Blank has decided to keep the text of the interview as is, to share just how hectic Tony’s organization can be as he puts together a schedule for nearly 300 bands.

  • Fest 1: Tony Weinbender
  • Fest 2: Dave Drobach of Grabass Charlestons
  • Fest 3: Kathleen Stubelek and Drew Speziale of Circle Takes the Square

Stay tuned for interviews abouts Fests 4-6, 7-9, and of course, our coverage of this year’s #10.

Skip to page View as a single page

— words by the SPB team • August 31, 2011

Fest 10th anniversary: Fests 1-3 remembered
Fest 10th anniversary: Fests 1-3 remembered

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. Fest 1: Tony Weinbender
  3. Fest 2: Dave Drobach of Grabass Charlestons
  4. Fest 3: Kathleen Stubelek and Drew Speziale of Circle Takes the Square

Related features

Time Thieves

One Question Interviews • February 4, 2026

Time Thieves SPB: While you’ve all played in punk bands Time Thieves is in the power-pop realm. What is a personal favorite album you feel is overlooked in the genre? Annie: Teenage Heartbreak (1980) by Sorrows. Heard it with a friend for the first time just a few months ago … Read more

Dauber

One Question Interviews • February 3, 2026

Mike (Dauber) SPB: What was the first album you ever bought? Mike: I'm not quite certain what the first album I ever bought was, probably Dookie or Smash. What I can remember is the first time I ever went to the legendary Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ (RIP). I had … Read more

Ian Glasper

One Question Interviews • February 2, 2026

Ian Glasper (A Country Fit For Heroes : DIY Punk in Eighties Britain) SPB: What was the first punk show you saw and do you remember how it inspired you at the time? Glasper: I'm not sure which was the very, very first punk gig I went to, because it's … Read more

Commerce or Amusement?

Regular Columns / Commerce or Amusement? • January 26, 2026

Howdy out there! Welcome to the introduction for a new interview series I’ll be helming. Thanks to SPB for having me. My interviews are going to revolve around “music biz” kinds of things. Before I keep going, I need to tell you something…I am not actually in the music business. … Read more

The Rousers

Interviews • January 26, 2026

A dripping handful of Brylcreem and a well-used black comb situated in the pack pocket of the rolled up Levis, the clicking rhythm of bubble gum and fast cars, fast girls and twangy guitars while engines from a Ford Thunderbird rev in the sunset. Enter The Rousers blasting out energy … Read more

More from this section

Demos You Want To Check #2

Music / New Kids On The Block • January 12, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and then die out, and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, a little help never hurts! So here we are, your … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: Year End (2025)

Music / Year End 2025 • December 23, 2025

Every year we diligently assemble a list of our favorite albums of the year. Each SPB staff member enters the large arena we nickname THE DOJO, and yells out the name of their top album of the year. Rival staffers quickly assemble and shout out their own highly-favored record, and … Read more

Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2025

Music / Year End 2025 • December 23, 2025

For many years now, Scene Point Blank has taken the opportunity as the year ends to formally "pass the mic" to our friends on the other side of the mostly-imaginary divide between listeners and artists. This year is no exception as we ask a bunch of bands, artists and labels … Read more