TOTAL FEST 2012

Hello total world, Total Fest 2012 is upon us. Fortunately for us, 2012 is not the end of the world. Total Fest will happen this August 16-18 in Missoula, Montana, and we expect all of you total boys and total girls to be there. This is going to be one hell of the year of the dragon, and we plan on finding most of your rocked-off socks by the river this summer.

We're now accepting band submissions through April 1, 2012. As you route your late-summer tours, please consider that the best way to the Northwest from Minneapolis, or to the midwest from the west coast is on scenic I-90, via Missoula.

What do we want from you? The usual luddite feast: some tracks (CDR is fine; vinyl or other material is great), some great pics of you being a human being (please only one "occupy" photo per submission), a brief write-up of you and your mates (a review is ok), and reliable contact info (point of contact, email AND phone) for your band. Additionally, we're happy to accept mp3s via the submissions email mentioned below, but please don't simply send us links to websites and ask us to choose what to listen to; we appreciate you taking the time to select tunes that best represent your sound and making sure to include the additional items requested above.

Please send band submissions to:

Total Fest

P.O. Box 7784

Missoula, MT 59807

For further information, please contact us at submissionstotalfest@gmail.com.

Total Fest X: In Your Rear View Mirror, Brah.
This is a long time coming; it took a few weeks to shake out the cobwebs, say goodbyes, and find all the stray shoes, bags and drummers. Total Fest X already seems so far away. The eight months of planning flew by and the three days of music lingered in a haze that dissipated in the flash of a river drenched Sunday. In a way, Total Fest marks the end of the summer, but it's never a longing for days gone by; rather, the Sunday after Total Fest is more of a "let your hair grow long" type of celebration.

What can we say? We said that it was coming. We're sure that we raised that flag. Were you ready? It seems like you were. 3 sultry summer days of DIY music with handful upon handful of familiar and new friends do things to a person's face. It stretches the ends of the mouth until it meets the ears. Laugh lines cement deeply into your face coupled, maybe, with some black under your eyes. A delirious, sleepless exuberance establishes a foothold as the days mercifully bleed into one another. The entire weekend is well oiled chaos that's a delight to behold.

Ten years! It's difficult to live up to an anniversary. All the anticipation can sometimes lead to disappointment. This year was far from disappointing. I can't do justice to each band's set so I'll just throw out some well-worn yet polished adjectives that I hope can sum up each night. Thursday night's kick-off established a telling tone for the weekend. The envelope was slightly pushed open. We looked at the cat. We made it to the end of space and stuck out our arms. More

space! Truly inspired sets helped initiate the Top Hat as one of this year's new venues. Special thanks to the Top Hat for helping to make this year's first night a smashing victory. Friday had all the promise of another spectacular evening. Awesome summer temperatures, great food and one helluva early show at Zoocity Apparel (the second addition to Total Fest X). The space lived up to our expectations. People packed in and the bands delivered. Impassioned from the get go, Friday's opening showcase set the perfect table for the Badlander / Palace. I'm not sure exactly when the Palace turned into a swamp, but sometime around 10 PM you could swim in the air. Saturday was no different. From the moment the doors opened, the Badlander / Palace complex buzzed with anticipation. Hammerhead! It's hard not to be excited for one of your favorite bands of all time, but holy shit did they deliver. This isn't to take away from any other band that played Total Fest. Each band brought it and kicked serious ass. There were so many gems that it's hard to pin down those moments where everything seemed to come together. Bad Naked's controversial set? Vaz's close-out? Shellshag? Unstoppable Death Machine's swimming and drumming? Dead's ass-solo? Gull!?!?! The Men! Helms Alee's shreddage? Big Business sweat machine or White Shit holding up the ceiling? Seriously, there is so much that's missing from this post that it hurts to think that some people missed this year. But, Hammerhead placed the perfect bow on a memorable weekend. Finely tuned and blistering, the closing set left a full year in its wake. Somehow it seems fitting that the slate is wiped clean. We have big ideas, plans and changes coming up for next year. So stay tuned and keep your eyes and ears pegged to the pavement.

There are so many people to thank.

Totalizers: Josh Vanek, Niki Vanek, Kari Nicole Workman, Lou Beard, Wendy Maltonic, Travis Jack Morss, Paul Hansbarger, Marty Hill, Greg Ragan, Erin Lambert Sipe, Josh Harteis, Julie Tompkins, Bryan Ramirez and Johnny Fink

Volunteers: Alex Key, Monte Sipe, Jonathon Richter, Derek Andrews, Greg Twigg, Jesi Noe, June West, Marcie Erving, Sarah Poole, Robyn Hegland, Scotty Moore, Marshall (BBQ Mercenary), Tom (Peace Mouse - all BBQ), Matthew LaRubbio, Hellgate Rollergirls: Lucky,
Knuckle Slambitch, 60 Grit, Flo, Mess, KP, Kelly, Shannon P., Bows, Lora Weitzel, Sarah D., MK,
Grobel, Paige, Andrea K., Laci, Dawni, and Kristen Grimm

Sponsors: American Made Tattoo, Astarna Web Development, Betty's Divine, Big Dipper, Biga Pizza, Black Coffee Roasting Co., Boom Swagger, Ear Candy Music, Edge of the World, Garage Tees, Garden City Gondola, Good Food Store, Howsyournetwork.com, KBGA, Kent Bros, Kettle House, Le Petit Outre, Missoula Copy Center, Missoula Independent, MissoulaEvents.net, Nature Boy, NewWest.net, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Piece of Mind, Rockin' Rudy's, Selvedge Studio, Shakespeare & Co., Statriot Designs, the Badlander and Palace Lounge, The Green Light, The Top Hat, Zoo City Apparel

And of course: YOU. Thank you so much for your continued support!!

KBGA - "THE LAST BEST RADIO STATION" MOTION TO MAKE KBGA THE STATE RADIO STATION!
Strolling through the radio stations in Missoula can be quite a depressing affair - four stations playing contemporary country, four more playing BTO, one playing Dave Matthews and another with some bullshit autotune top 40 hit. That is until you turn over to 89.9 FM, your friendly neighborhood college radio station, KBGA.

KBGA has once again married Wantage USA to bring you Total Fest X. The thing of it is, with all of the great music and shows like Ink Mathematics, Ultra-Mega Blast, Muffin Tops, Swimming With the Mermaid, and deejays like H-Rap, Avatar, Bullit and Dr. Katie we feel like we already owe them. Instead they throw some major support our way and make it possible for us to bring bands like Big Business to Total Fest.

So kids, next time you hear KBGA is doing there annual Radio-Thon pick up that phone and support them because they are the best radio station in town and if you don't then you will only have yourself to blame for the eight Sheryl Crow songs that are playing simultaneously on other stations right now (seriously, right now - I checked).

TOTAL SPONSOR-FOCUS: HICKEY TIME.

There are few people more ubiquitous in Missoula than the Hickey brothers. They seem to have their hands on every relevant pulse in this town, and they have for awhile. You may have heard of the Volumen or The International Playboys, but it's the behind the scenes stuff that really keeps this town ticking. From the outset, they've been generating or promoting something. It's a horribly rare thing for people to remain connected to the heart of a town, but somehow they seem to never falter. They've made their local mark on the internets (remember the place with the illusion of anonymity). Shane Hickey's HOWSYOURNETWORK is a company focused largely on things we don't understand. We know Shane wears lab coats, has crazy unkempt hair and is a wee bit too extroverted (and lacks the Coke bottle glasses) to a be a Weird Science type geek, but understands science and math in ways we never will. Need network stuff done? This is a so-called non-brainer.

Colin Hickey's MissoulaEvents.net stretches its fingers into everything that's happening in Missoula. Pick your poison and you'll find it in the calendar. It's an egalitarian run of information. If you're bored in Missoula, it's generally your fault; but, MissoulaEvents gives an edge to even the most jaded introvert. Aside from that, it puts the burden on you. Do you wonder why only 5 people showed up to your fundraiser or art show? Did you post an event? Together with their brother Brian (whom we've talked about on our Big Dipper post), Colin and Shane have helped keep Missoula and Total Fest glued together. In one way or another, they've helped fasten things. Cheers to you guys and thanks for all your support!!!

TOTAL KARAOKE
What??

In case you've been snaking your way through caves or letting your hair grow too far over your face, Total Fest is less than 36 hours away. In that time, you could beeline across the country, but then you'd be stuck there and, most likely, only have blurry car-tourist photos of the Largest Ball of Twine or Carhenge. So what's an antsy person to do? Well, our friends Colin and Tom (Shahs) have offered up their services for a Total Karaoke Kick-off / Pre-Blast:

As if Total Fest weekend couldn't get any more consumed with summer fun and debauchery, we Karaoke hosts at the VFW want to up the ante a bit and deliver a THANK YOU to all the organizers and bands that are making this tenth festival happen. This Wednesday we'll be running Karaoke like normal but with one added incentive: all of the organizers and any Total Fest bands local or otherwise will get $2 wells all night long. Keep in mind that's in addition to some of the cheapest beer prices in town! If you're wondering, the VFW is located next door to Biga Pizza on Main Street and always open to the public. There's no cover and it's always free to sing. Colin and myself (Tom) will be hosting for y'all and making sure you folks are having a great kick off to one of wildest weekends Missoula will ever see!

So whether you fancy yourself as David Byrne or Rebecca Black, march those purty faces to the VFW tonight! Who knows, you may be blessed with a rousing Tom Jones song or two.

EAR CANDY MUSIC: VINYL, DIGITAL, LOCAL.
Ear Candy's been a TF sponsor for something like err, 9 years now. I remember going into Ear Candy for the first time in 2000. They were located up the street, closer to Hellgate in a smaller spot, and I immediately knew that Missoula was changing for the better. Their hand-curated collection of metal, punk, garage, soul, psych, world, hip hop, electronic is beyond solid and employees knowledge of their stuff tends to run pretty deep. And the folks who work here aren't your typical antisocial, I-know-more-about-the-Pretty-Things-than-you-do types, John, Ira, Marty, Adelaide, Kalen are interesting, informed and happy to share what they know and talk to you about what you're stoked about.

Ear Candy's used bins tend to run ridiculously deep. They run especially deep in the obscure gem department, and offer a handful of listening stations. Luckily, they're located directly across the street from Big Dipper, stop in for a good solid look. There's even a Total Fest section.

Ear Candy's one of the special set of sponsors (along with Betty's and Boom Swagger) who helped get our Thursday night off to an immense start with Vaz, White Mystery and the Pharmacy. Jeesh. Thanks, Ear Candy.

BOARDS, CLOTHES AND SMILES: MISSOULA'S EoW SHREDS TOTAL FEST

One of the great things about the Missoula businesses that help support Total Fest is that many of them are owned and fronted by some of the same people who help craft the landscape of Missoula's music scene. Edge of the World is one of the handfuls of sponsors whose manager Chris Bacon is not only a fixture of Missoula's punk past and present (Volumen, Bacon & Egg) but also is on the front lines of Missoula and Montana's skateboarding / snowboarding culture. It's a hard gig to maintain, but Edge of the World and BOMB Sk8boards puts their best feet forward to provide a statewide support network for boarders, while also keeping them in some of the finest duds this side of the Mississippi. If you're in need of anything, you should consider stopping by EoW and having them help you equip yourself before saddling yourself into the recliner that has seen better days and perusing the internet for a quick fix.