Overtime Fest full of good times, bad cops
By: Ryan Allen and Chris Hatfield
LIFE Et cetera Writers
Issue date: 9/18/00 Section: Et cetera
What happens when a bunch of good-hearted punk rock kids come together to organize
a music and wrestling festival that not only provides a positive and enjoyable
environment to the Mt. Pleasant community, but also raises money for the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society?
Well, of course, the cops come, shut it down and hoist up a huge and ugly black cloud over what was shaping up to be quite a great day at Chip-A-Waters park.
Even though The Overtime Fest II and their promoters were stopped dead in their good-natured tracks by the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, the concert succeeded in showing the kids how to rock out for a good cause.
The fest, which was to feature performances by King, the Soccer Moms, Today I Wait, Granny Smith, Juneau, and 8 Ball Grifter, as well as wrestling by touring league Powerhouse Championship Wrestling, was organized by Rob Forest and Dan Nixon, heads of local record label Proletariat Records.
“I think it’s about time for the Mt. Pleasant youth to rally for a different kind of enjoyment,” said Caine Kissel, Manistee senior and emcee for the wrestling portion of the event.
As the sounds of Van Halen’s “Jump!” filled the air, an element of excitement filled the air, especially when Jumpin’ Jimmy Jacobs took on Frankie the Face in the first of 4 matches by the PCW wrestlers.
Seconds after the match finished, with Frankie the Face coming out on top, local rock-billy-band King, featuring legendary guitarist Johnny Spade, took the stage. They entertained the audience with numerous original songs, as well as a cover of Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock.” Black shirts and dark blue jeans were represented.
The next match to take place pitted the goofy Jimmy “Human Hype” Shalwin against the aerodynamic skills of “Freaknasty” Michael Stryker. This match saw the first blood loss of the day, as Stryker’s lip was covered in a crimson red. This seemed to fuel Stryker’s furry, as he pinned Shalwin with the 1-2-3.
“This is not a brawl. A wrestling match is a beautiful dance,” Stryker said during a post-match interview.
With spirits high, and the fest living up to its promise of providing a positive and fun environment, the Mt. Pleasant Police force made their presence know, telling the Overtime crew to turn the stage around.
This small invasion did not weigh heavy on the mood of the day though, as the Soccer Moms did their best to put a smile on the face of everyone in attendance.
“By the time we’re done, the kids in Mt. Pleasant are gonna' be screaming ‘Yes yes yes it rocked! No no no, don’t stop the rock!’,” predicted Soccer Mom Fabrizio Costantini, Fraser senior.
The Soccer Moms got the crowd jumping with their unique blend of blues and rock n’ roll, entrancing the crowd not only with their nice haircuts, but with pure rock prowess (along with the assistance of some plastic hot dogs and their trusty toaster).
“The event was extremely rich in variety and experience. It was totally foreign to Mt. Pleasant. The event was exposing fun mixed with awe. It was awesome,” said Costantini.
The wrestlers were not to be outdone, however, and came back to the ring with a vengeance, with Magnum Conroy taking on Destruction.
“I think this is a really great opportunity for people to come out and see some wrestling, not just the stuff on TV,” said Kissel.
The match ended, but the beat-down had just begun, courtesy of metal-math rockers Today I Wait. The band brought down the house (er, grassy knoll) with their dosage of Botch-like complexity and heavy riffage, along with an energetic stage presence that translated well into the crowd. The band double bassed, screamed, and just flat out rocked through 7 or 8 songs, just before the police arrived and shut the show down.
The last match, which featured Loverboy Steve (covered in a slightly distasteful red heart outfit) and hometown boy Asten “Top Dog” Williams, was allowed to finish, as the police looked on to make sure there would be no anarchy (and of course there wasn’t).
The police changed the agenda of the show, but the rock did not stop there. Although Granny Smith and 8 Ball Grifter did not get to play, local emo-hearthrobs Juneau headed over to the most punk rock of places, the basement of guitarist/vocalist Mike Gallacher, and kicked out the jams for some of the Overtime Fest concert-goers. Juneau melded melody and aggression perfectly, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, still rocking it out for a good cause.
The Overtime Festival II, even with all the disappointment surrounding the event, still succeeded in bringing a diverse lineup of bands, a highly entertaining wrestling organization, and a nice sum of money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and really did no wrong.
Forest, Nixon, the rest of the people who helped organize the Overtime Festival II, the bands, and the wrestlers should be proud of themselves for putting together something this great and important.
Well, of course, the cops come, shut it down and hoist up a huge and ugly black cloud over what was shaping up to be quite a great day at Chip-A-Waters park.
Even though The Overtime Fest II and their promoters were stopped dead in their good-natured tracks by the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, the concert succeeded in showing the kids how to rock out for a good cause.
The fest, which was to feature performances by King, the Soccer Moms, Today I Wait, Granny Smith, Juneau, and 8 Ball Grifter, as well as wrestling by touring league Powerhouse Championship Wrestling, was organized by Rob Forest and Dan Nixon, heads of local record label Proletariat Records.
“I think it’s about time for the Mt. Pleasant youth to rally for a different kind of enjoyment,” said Caine Kissel, Manistee senior and emcee for the wrestling portion of the event.
As the sounds of Van Halen’s “Jump!” filled the air, an element of excitement filled the air, especially when Jumpin’ Jimmy Jacobs took on Frankie the Face in the first of 4 matches by the PCW wrestlers.
Seconds after the match finished, with Frankie the Face coming out on top, local rock-billy-band King, featuring legendary guitarist Johnny Spade, took the stage. They entertained the audience with numerous original songs, as well as a cover of Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock.” Black shirts and dark blue jeans were represented.
The next match to take place pitted the goofy Jimmy “Human Hype” Shalwin against the aerodynamic skills of “Freaknasty” Michael Stryker. This match saw the first blood loss of the day, as Stryker’s lip was covered in a crimson red. This seemed to fuel Stryker’s furry, as he pinned Shalwin with the 1-2-3.
“This is not a brawl. A wrestling match is a beautiful dance,” Stryker said during a post-match interview.
With spirits high, and the fest living up to its promise of providing a positive and fun environment, the Mt. Pleasant Police force made their presence know, telling the Overtime crew to turn the stage around.
This small invasion did not weigh heavy on the mood of the day though, as the Soccer Moms did their best to put a smile on the face of everyone in attendance.
“By the time we’re done, the kids in Mt. Pleasant are gonna' be screaming ‘Yes yes yes it rocked! No no no, don’t stop the rock!’,” predicted Soccer Mom Fabrizio Costantini, Fraser senior.
The Soccer Moms got the crowd jumping with their unique blend of blues and rock n’ roll, entrancing the crowd not only with their nice haircuts, but with pure rock prowess (along with the assistance of some plastic hot dogs and their trusty toaster).
“The event was extremely rich in variety and experience. It was totally foreign to Mt. Pleasant. The event was exposing fun mixed with awe. It was awesome,” said Costantini.
The wrestlers were not to be outdone, however, and came back to the ring with a vengeance, with Magnum Conroy taking on Destruction.
“I think this is a really great opportunity for people to come out and see some wrestling, not just the stuff on TV,” said Kissel.
The match ended, but the beat-down had just begun, courtesy of metal-math rockers Today I Wait. The band brought down the house (er, grassy knoll) with their dosage of Botch-like complexity and heavy riffage, along with an energetic stage presence that translated well into the crowd. The band double bassed, screamed, and just flat out rocked through 7 or 8 songs, just before the police arrived and shut the show down.
The last match, which featured Loverboy Steve (covered in a slightly distasteful red heart outfit) and hometown boy Asten “Top Dog” Williams, was allowed to finish, as the police looked on to make sure there would be no anarchy (and of course there wasn’t).
The police changed the agenda of the show, but the rock did not stop there. Although Granny Smith and 8 Ball Grifter did not get to play, local emo-hearthrobs Juneau headed over to the most punk rock of places, the basement of guitarist/vocalist Mike Gallacher, and kicked out the jams for some of the Overtime Fest concert-goers. Juneau melded melody and aggression perfectly, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, still rocking it out for a good cause.
The Overtime Festival II, even with all the disappointment surrounding the event, still succeeded in bringing a diverse lineup of bands, a highly entertaining wrestling organization, and a nice sum of money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and really did no wrong.
Forest, Nixon, the rest of the people who helped organize the Overtime Festival II, the bands, and the wrestlers should be proud of themselves for putting together something this great and important.
