TOTAL TIME.

2011 will mark the tenth year we will have gotten all Total out here, and to celebrate, we're working on some extra-ambitious stuff. More on that soon, but for now, let's just commence the accepting of applications. We want you. Deadline: April 1, 2011. Here's what an application looks like:

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 "Bro! Just go head and go to our myspace page. It's all there." We are old, weird, "traditional" folks for whom computers, MP3s and the like still are confusing and frightening.

2) A promise that you understand that by applying, you're holding onto the days of August 18-20, 2011 and not simultaneously figuring out how to do 16 other things simultaneously.

2.5) Some type of paragraph explaining your deal. Who are you? Where do you live? Why do you play tunes? Why do you like the Pink Fairies and Karp? We don't need a long list of the bands you've played with, but we like context, and if a decent writer has written about your band, that'd be a nice thing to get.

3) Good contact information for you (i.e. a single contact person for your band, a good phone number 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 1, 2011. Send to:

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

Josh's Top List of 2010

And with no ado whatsoever, here are some top lists for last year. I'm going to see if I can't collect these from some of our Total Fest organizers!

RECORDS
Bassholes: And Without A Name LP (Columbus Discount)
Don Howland's records keep getting better, spookier and more excellent and time goes by.

Kieltolaki LP (Feral Ward)
Finnish hardcore done so well it's unfunny.

Kvoteringen LP (Feral Ward)
Swedish harcore done so well it's unfunny.

White Shit: Sculpted Beef (PPM)
For a one-sided 12", this thing packs in adventure, Jim Morrison references and plugs four of my favorite musicians into a single, ripping band.

Fleshies: Brown Flag LP (Recesss)
Who knew this killer band was still killing?

Omar Khorshid LP (reissued material by Sublime Frequencies)
Offers crucial pre-surf, and showcases Arab guitar at its absolute finest.

Fist City: LP (Deadbeat)
Southern Albertans whose sound is as rurally-isolated, beautiful, and frustrated as Lethbridge.

Harvey Milk: Small Turn of Human Kindness LP (Hydrahead)
Not rock whatsoever, but good in spite.

the Lights: Failed Graves LP (Wantage)

Jangle-jangle donk, jangle-jangle donk. Rhyming choruses... the formula is unchanged and perfect.

Japanther: Rock N' Rolle Ice Cream (Menlo Park)

My soft spot for Japanther's pop is real, and their pop keeps improving.

Shahs: Dry Heat/Valley Low (Riley Bushman) LP
One man and a tropical, washy mission.

Post Regiment: Czarly reissue LP (Nikt Nic Nie Wie)
Polski punk at its finest.

White Lung: CD (Derranged)
Canadienski punk at its finest.

Bird's Mile Home LP (Minor Bird)

Missoula's only 12" in ... what, 4 years? A fist pumper.

Child Abuse: Cut and Run CD (Lovepump)
Lightning Bolt's estranged west coast cousins? Or is it just a west coast label?

Broken Water: Whet LP (Radio Is Down)

Great, slow, enveloping rock and roll music.

Konono #1: Assume Crash Position (Crammed)
Congolese all-stars continue to thwack at their likembes.

Custody Battle 10" (Morning Star Tapes)

My sleeper hit record of 2010.

AFCGT CD (Sub Pop)

A-Frames dudes, Climax Golden Twins dudes. A one time collab? Who cares.

1776 12" EP (Aerodrome)

Federation X fix, four songs worth anyway.

Mordecai CDR (Self-released, LP soon on Killer Tree)

Rock a rolla from the caustic, environmentally-troubled part of the state.

LIVE

Ohsees @ the BSMT

Capricorn Vertical Slum: Live at

Mordecai

Broken Water @ the ZACC

Warcry @ Total Fest IX

Night of Joy @ Total Fest IX

TOTALLY TOTALED.

I think Carly Starbird's quote (above) captures it better than anything longer winded. I mean, Ach mein gott, man! Are you kidding? From the opening notes of Abe Coley's space-jam, to the pop-heave of Muhammadali to the melodies of Street Eaters, power of Warcry, jam-sense of Grandparents and scuzz-menace of White Drugs, Total Fest IX was a blast. Highlights are too copious to list, lowpoints involve only hearing loss, too few hours in the day, and so many friends to re-connect with.

The picture of Oneida on the right here was taken by the folks at musicsoula.com who have got a slide show up too. We'll keep you posted on developments around here, but for now, thank you for coming, get ahold of us if you haven't gotten paid and thank you for making Total Fest what it is. It's a lot of work, but I come off it pretty well charged up for a good handful of weeks. It's such a refreshing thing to see so much incredible, diverse music in one weekend. Additionally, it's an honor for us organizers (Lou, Wendy, Kari, Julie, Niki, Josh, Josh, Johnny, Genna, Neight, Marty, Jordon, Erin) to be part of something as community as Total Fest is. It wouldn't be anything without people to cook food, house bands, buy passes, play music, organize record swaps and all things in between.

We're hocking what leftover shirts and posters we have at wantageusa.com.

SNEAK PREVIEW: TEE-SHIRT BACK.

Holy moly, four days till Total Fest nine starts at the Missoula Art Museum! Passes are moving fast, plans are getting made. We'll see you there.

Oh, and yes. Missoula artist Mathew LaRubbio's the man behind this year's Total Fest, Feast and Test poster art, and he's designing our tee shirt too. This is a sneak preview of what the back of the shirts is going to to look like! Go on, give it a click.

Garage Tees (in the Warehouse Mall in Missoula) is Total Fest's official sponsor, and they're the ones printing the shirts.

EATA THE PIZZA, SUPPORTA THE FESTA.
Biga Pizza Total Feast: a benefit for Total Fest. Happening Sunday, August 15th, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM, or until the dough's gone. Seriously. No dough, no pizza. $10, all-you-should-eat pizza and salad, beer too. But you've got to buy the beer separately. See you there!

Oh, and while you're here, we've got two sweet new developments: 1) We've got a live interview with Oneida's Hanoi Jane up at kgba. org! 2) Next week on Muffin Tops radio, at 5PM August 19, Niki's gonna air her interview with Fist City! they're an incredible punk band from Lethbridge, Alberta. Here's a video!

THRONE UP! DIP DOWN!
Dear christ, this stuff is so crushing! Thrones play Friday, August 20th at the Palace.



Saturday's (August 21, 12 noon) Record Swap happens at the Big Dipper, on South Higgins. This spring, the Dip went mobile with this thing!

DERANGED DICTION: LISTEN TO THE TAPE ON A VIDEO, MAN.
Back in the 80s Montana had its hand in a nice Bloodstain across Western America style group called Deranged Diction. They had a nice rural isolation vibe, a nice Discharge style snare tone, and a good disaffected, fuck-up vocal style . The dudes are older, the music and message ain't.