Scallywag Austin 2018

Scallywag! Austin 2018
Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin, TX, September 22, 2018
By Michael Mullenix

Festival season 2018 has had a plethora of entries and brought some of the greatest names in Rock to audiences all over the country. But perhaps the craziest and most unfortunate festival this year finally arrived in Austin on Sunday, September 23^rd, in the form of the Scallywag Fest. Born out of the canceled remains of the Punk In Drublic Festival and featuring a combination of Live Music and Craft Beer, the concertgoers were treated to the finest in classic Punk Rock and Independent brewers. As indicated, it was a bit of a mess. A happy mess! A mess that still worked in the end. Picture a gymnast who broke both ankles and yet still landed the dismount. The beer was there and featured several of the finest names in craft, but for a city with nearly 30 independent breweries, there was only a handful of them from the Austin area (Celis, Two Wheel, Funkwerks, and Independence). Also, not long before the music started, the beer was tapped for the afternoon, leaving only the music focus of the festival. Speaking of the music… this was the right lineup at the wrong venue. Pennywise, Bad Religion, and Rancid were the headliners of the music portion of the festival, a veritable who’s who of Punk Rock! And yet the amphitheater never looked emptier. The tumultuous weather certainly didn’t help, but the common perception is that it was tepidly advertised and attendees felt lucky to catch this in time to add it to their calendars. Still, when the music started all that mattered was a collection of Punk Rock pioneers. Each band had the entire General Admission area widen into the largest possible moshpit as Pennywise jammed through their old classics like Bro Hymm and Society, Bad Religion fit the entire album Suffer into their set, and Rancid took us all the way from Olympia WA to Ruby Soho. As the inaugural outing for this festival, we can only hope that the kinks are ironed out and what was there this year is only stronger next year. I mean, who doesn’t like a nice beer while watching their favorite band?

SKALLYWAG AUSTIN PHOTO GALLERY

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Michael Mullenix

Growing up around the world, Michael developed a taste and appreciation for all styles of music. While studying film making at Boston University, he dove headfirst into a mosh-pit and never came out. It was in Boston that he combined his love of film and photography with his drive and passion for being a chronicler of the underground music scene. After graduation he headed to Los Angeles and for over a decade has worked with some of the top musicians and actors in the entertainment industry. Lured to Austin by the cultural explosion in the music and film scenes taking place there, he relocated two years ago and describes Austin as a cultural Shang Ri La!