‘Anger and aggression’ with direction: Punk music fest brings the mosh pit to Moscow

About 20 punk rock bands are bringing their high-energy shows to downtown Moscow, Idaho, this weekend for the second annual Punk Palouse Fest.

Since its inception, punk has been more than a musical genre. It’s been a movement for decades rooted in community, anti-bigotry and holding power to account. In today’s political climate full of culture wars, conflict and hatred, it can sometimes feel tough to know where to channel one’s discontent and fight back alongside like-minded people.

“We don’t want your fascist state. We don’t want your world of hate,” are words punk singer Defty Marshall first screamed into a microphone nearly 50 years ago. “We don’t want your lies and cons. We don’t want to tag along.”

This week’s punk fest starts at 5 p.m. Friday at John’s Alley Tavern.

Roughly 20 bands will play at three venues over the course of the festival on Friday and Saturday. Two of the three venues (Mikey’s Gyros and The Kenworthy) are open to people of all ages. John’s Alley is a 21-and-over venue.

Last year’s Punk Palouse had such a good turnout that one of the venues reached capacity, said Chris Proctor, one of five volunteer board members who put on the fest.

“Punk music gives people an outlet for what they’re feeling, the anger and aggression they’re feeling,” Proctor told The Spokesman-Review . “I think the root of punk is that anger and aggression has an actual direction – like, a valid direction. Instead of being angry in some kind of indirect, idiot way.”

This year, Punk Palouse attendees are encouraged to bring food items to shows to donate to a food drive the fest is putting on in collaboration with Inland Oasis, a Moscow-based nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ people on the Palouse. Food donation boxes will be set up at every show.

“Excellent things to bring are peanut butter, canned meats, mac and cheese, pasta, breakfast cereals, and condiments,” reads a memo about this year’s food drive.

Along with Proctor, the annual Punk Palouse Fest is put on by a board of five other volunteers: Alicia Gladman, Alli Curet, Drew Schuldt, Emily Nunes and Hannah Smith.

“From a band’s perspective, the board put together a really great fest and a really great group of volunteers,” said Scott Wasilewski, a cellist in the band Portal to the God Damn Blood Dimension. “They took care of us, put us up and supported us with everything we needed.”

Wasilewski and his eight-piece, self-described “hardcore-chestra” band are based out of Salt Lake City. The cellist and his bandmates are slated to headline the 9 p.m. show Friday at Mikey’s Gyros, one of the fest’s all-ages venues.

The owners and staff at Mikey’s Gyros were professional and welcoming to artists when Wasilewski played the venue during last year’s Punk Palouse Fest, he said.

“I think there’s a real possibility that when you put a fest like this on for the first time, it feels like you’re biting off more than you can chew,” Wasilewski said. “But Mikey’s owner Jeremy Martin seemed really pumped about it. He was just as pumped as all of the musicians playing the fest.”

On Friday, Wasilewski said he’s stoked to return to Moscow with his electric cello and play the fest again: an event he says welcomes many types of people and musicians.

“It’s really inclusive. It’s almost built into it,” Wasilewski said. “You almost can’t avoid that if you’re playing punk music and at a punk music fest. It will be inviting for whoever’s there.”

All-ages tickets to get into Punk Palouse Fest cost $30. Tickets to get into the all-ages venues as well as the 21 and older venue cost $50. To buy tickets or find more information, visit punkpalousefest.com.