UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND: SAN PEDRO'S PUNK TORCHBEARERS.
Todd "Recess" Congelliere's a bro. He's been in bands that we've been fans of for like, uh, 20-some years. I think if you were to consider all of the Todd-related bands that have played Total Fest over the years (Toys that Kill, Stoned At Heart, Underground Railroad.., Audacity) the guy takes the prize for most time on a Total Fest stage.

Part of what we so dig about Todd's projects is that he still does everything diy and keeps up a feverish release pace, and he remembers everybodys' names. Hell, he met Johnny at some point, briefly in the early 00s, and hasn't forgetten that guy!, and same goes for a lot of us. One of my all-time favorite Total Fest anecdotes comes from Todd, via Ben Wildenhaus from Federation X: it was TFIV, the one we held at the American Legion hall. The beer had run out and the alternative alcohol was Sparks, the nasty acidic orange alco-caffeine hybrid. Todd, and some bandmates, had switched from beer to Sparks out of necessity, and got wired-buzzed on the stuff. They were staying at Niki's house, and.. (this is where it gets a little fuzzy) when Todd took a shower, he looked down at his chest and hallucinated a feathery bird's breast, rather than what you normally see. Was it the combination of being in a 90 degree, sweaty room and a massive dose of pharmaceutical grade caffeine and dodgy malt liquor...or was it the Total Fest je-ne-sais-quois? We'll never know.

In the past year, Todd's done a great solo record called "Clown Sounds," he played on the Stoned At Heart LP, and now there's this great new Underground Railroad To Candyland record. It's all got his stamp on it. If you're into modern skate punk, and the torch-bearers of the best of southern California's punk output, Todd and his crew(s) are your folks. The band that's playing Total Fest X is the Underground Railroad to Candyland. They have got a new record coming out, and are massively fun and excellent.

TOTAL FEST IX: OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
Total Fest IX will break loose from its cage August 19-21, 2010 in majestic Missoula, Montana. We've officially opened the submission floodgates. We'll consider bands, one-person acts, special performance art outfits and the like. We're officially a music festival, but like creativity in all its forms.

To submit, we need a few things from you:

1) A good recording, CDRs are fine, of three or four songs that best represent your band. One CD is fine. Electronic submissions are a hassle for us, so don't email us saying "just go to our myspace, dude. It's all there." We are old, traditional, luddites who like the U.S. Mail, CD players and tactile experiences.

2) Some type of paragraph explaining your deal. Who you are, where you live, whether or not you like Hawkwind. We don't need a long list of the bands you've played with, but if a decent writer has written about your band, that's a helpful thing for us to have.

3) Good contact information for you (i.e. a phone and email address).

4) Your patience. We will listen to everything we get, discuss it, give it a fair shake and decide upon the bands and artists that most help us with our mission of Totality. Totally. Thank you.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 2, 2010. Send to:

Wantage USA Attn. Total Fest IX Submissions
P.O. Box 8681
Missoula, MT 59807

(the crowd photo above was taken by Andy Kemmis at Total Fest VIII)