10th Annual 4th Of July Party in Detroit With EKG, Dr. Haj, Tell All Your Friends, and more.
EKG at the 10th Annual 4th of July Party in Detroit - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
When I first saw the flyer, and there was no location, I assumed that the promoters were still working on setting it up and had announced the bands in advance of the actual show. Well, it turned out that the lack of a location was intentional and that this was an "Ask A Punk" show. I knew several members of the bands playing, so I asked around and got the location (I've been asked not to print it), which was more of an address (to an empty lot in Detroit) than an actual location. I found out later that this was the 10th annual occurrence of this party and that I'd been missing the boat for quite a while. After attending this year, I plan to make it an annual event.
Flyer for the 10th Annual 4th of July party in Detroit featuring A Total Wreck (NYC), Morbid Cunt, Cop/Out (NYC), Gut Gash (Pittsburgh), Nuclear Addicts (Cincinnati), Lava , Planeta Mugre (Los Angeles), Caveman, Tell All Your Friends, EKG, and the surprise guest would be headliners Cult of Space Skull. This was a benefit for Food Not Class and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. There was no address on the flyer or any of the ads; you had to “Ask a Punk” to find out the “secret” location. I’m not sure how everything went after the rain moved in, and we had to leave, but the first half of the festival was right on target.
Even though this was set up in a vacant lot, with electricity likely run from a neighboring house, there was a lot of effort put into it. The sound system was incredible, and Dr. Haj appeared to be running it (a professional sound guy and also a member of the local bands Dr. Haj and Bill Kozy's Rising Force). The audience was a who's who of Detroit punk rock bands and local activists, and there were lines of vendors set up selling or distributing literature, fresh-squeezed orange juice, gourmet pickles, freshly silkscreened T-shirts, charcoal-grilled food, band merch, and more. There was a bounce house for the kids, and all sorts of dogs milling around, looking for treats, and introducing themselves to various humans. It was hot and sunny, so we found a place under a tree to set up our chairs and stake a spot for the upcoming bands. Dr. Haj started us out with a solo acoustic set, and then brought out the drummer for Bill Kozy's Rising Force and did a few songs of theirs.
Tell All Your Friends at the 10th Annual 4th of July Party in Detroit - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
I knew that we wouldn't be able to stay all day; the party started at 3:00pm, and the final band (Cult of Space Skull) wouldn't go on until 10:00. Lava was scheduled for 5:40, and that was likely going to be our last band, with EKG right before them. After Dr. Haj was done, Planeta Mugre and Tell All Your Friends played great sets and got the crowd more and more enthusiastic as it went. By the time EKG took the "stage" there were a good amount of people braving the heat to be up front, and a mosh pit was imminent. But clouds had also formed, and it looked like there was a good chance of some heavy rain moving through.
I'd seen EKG (Evil Killing Good) one time prior at The Outer Limits Lounge, where they drank heavily, balanced beer cans on their heads, and three-fourths of the band got completely naked. They have been around 10 years and are sometimes referred to as the most offensive band in Detroit. I had no idea what to expect this time but was happy that it was a more straightforward but intense punk rock set. Before they went on, I talked to their singer about some of his tattoos. He has "Outlaw Scumfuck" on his chest (a reference to G.G. Allin, I assume), but I was more interested in the cover of The Fuck-Ups "F.U.82" 7" on his back. That Fuck-Ups record was one of the first singles that I bought when I was a kid just getting into punk rock (around 1982), and I was surprised to see it tattooed on someone so young. He said that he loved the record and had even tracked down a copy of the original vinyl on eBay. We were lucky to catch their full set, but the rain eventually did move in, and it was a downpour. That sent most everyone scrambling and ended the day for us (unfortunately missing Lava), but we will be back next year.
