Feature / Music
Pre-gaming For The Fest

Words: Scottie • Posted pre-2010

Chris Farren (Fake Problems)

Scene Point Blank: How many times has the band played The Fest?

Chris Farren: This will be our second time playing The Fest. I've also heard some talk that if you play twice in a row you can't play a third, like you have to take a year off or something? I hope not, but if that is the case, we're just going to break up and start a new band with all the same members so we can play again.

Scene Point Blank: Seeing how The Fest was dubbed the pinnacle of beard rock, which bands playing do you think have the best bearded members? Do you have suggestions or requests for facial hair at this year's The Fest?

Chris Farren: I know for a fact that Matt Agrella from Look Mexico has the most righteous beard any man could ever aspire to have. Maybe the god of facial hair will grant some Fake Problems members the ability to grow magnificent thick flowing beards.

Scene Point Blank: What have been some of the high and low points of previous The Fests?

Chris Farren: Well, first and foremost, playing The Fest last year was definitely one of the highlights of our year. It was the best response we'd ever gotten anywhere. I didn't really know people liked us until then, so that was incredible. Last year we all had a lot of fun watching None More Black, Lawrence Arms, Velveteen Pink, Minus the Bear, The Ergs, Latterman, and I'm sure so many more that I'm forgetting.

Scene Point Blank: What bands are you most psyched to see at this year's The Fest?

Chris Farren: We're pretty stoked on playing with Gaslight Anthem and Look Mexico, and then I think we'll all be out to see Smoke or Fire, The Draft, The Falcon, Hour of the Wolf, Modern Life is War, Avail, Matt & Kim, Clorox Girls, etc.

Scene Point Blank: What are you most looking forward to aside from seeing other bands at this year's The Fest?

Chris Farren: The life experiences and lessons that Tony teaches us every year at October's end.

Scene Point Blank: For all the first timers do you have any advice before attending The Fest this year or any suggestions for things to check out in the off time?

Chris Farren: Make sure you know where you're sleeping, don't be a jerk, have fun, get crazy, and eat at Flaco's in Gainesville. It's really really good.

Related features

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

Greg Soden

One Question Interviews • January 22, 2026

Greg Soden (Unscripted Moments: Conversations with Propagandhi) SPB: You’ve obviously followed Propagandhi for many years – what was the biggest surprise or revelation to you about the band as pieced the book together? Soden: To me, the greatest joy in interviewing members of Propagandhi for five years was the mutual … Read more

Hooch

One Question Interviews • January 21, 2026

Scott O’Brien (Hooch, Smut Peddlers) SPB: How is the approach to your solo work different than with Smut Peddlers? O'Brien: My solo work, which has actually turned into a new collaborative band called Hooch, was a way to work on music I wrote that was somewhat stylistically different from Smut … Read more

Storm Boy

One Question Interviews • January 20, 2026

Storm Boy What is your favorite 1990s artist? God there’s so much to draw from in so many different scene: much of which we consciously incorporate into our creative process -- like Fugazi, Jesus Lizard, the Cure, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, but also bands that influenced us simply by … 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