WELCOME TO GONERFEST!
We’re so happy you are here! We hope this guide will come in handy during the festival. Try to schedule some time to mix in some side trips to try some restaurants, check out some Memphis landmarks, and hang out with friends both old and new. You can do it! We’ve got some tips in this magazine, and words of advice from people who know. The advertisers in here believe in this festival — please support them. Thank you so much for coming to Gonerfest, whether you’re coming from Japan, Finland, Arkansas, California, New York or from across town in Memphis, we love the community you have all helped create.
We are thrilled to have the world-famous independent free-form radio station WFMU broadcasting from Gonerfest this year, spreading the sounds and vibe of Gonerfest even further than ever! We are also livestreaming this again so tell your friends who couldn’t make it to get online and catch all the fun.
Please treat the festival and your fellow guests with respectfollow your common sense guidelines after any potential Covid exposure or sickness of any kind, and please sit out the fest if you do have any symptoms. We want everyone to get through this safely. Please keep everyone’s safety and good times in mind.
OKAY! Once again, thanks again so much for coming, now let’s have some fun!
TICKETS: GOLDEN PASS
ENTRY TO ALL GONERFEST EVENTS!
INCLUDED: A four-band commemorative 7” with a Gonerfest tote bag, perfect to carry all your Gonerfest merch & goodies. If you don’t get a tote bag + record when you get your wristband, you can pick your goodies up at Goner Records or at the Goner Merch Table during the festival.
DAILY TICKETS:
$60 THURS-SAT | $20 SUNDAY
We will have tickets at the door each day. Gonerfest is open to all ages.
CHECK-IN!
We’ve got A LOT of people to check in... PLEASE CHECK IN EARLY IF YOU CAN!
Come by the Goner shop to pick up your Golden Pass starting Wednesday, September 25.
And if you get your wristband early — do not take it off! You need that for access through Sunday.
CENTRAL STATION CHECK-IN PARTY:
THURSDAY 2-4PM
We are getting people set with wristbands at CENTRAL STATION LOBBY with DJ HOT TUB ERIC - Memphis’ rockin Eric Plumleystarting the fest off right DJing righteous tunes in the Hotel Lobby!
Please try to come by!
Avoid long lines at Railgarten and check in early!
AFTERPARTIES
AFTER THE GONER PARTY... THE AFTERPARTIES!
Bars with other shows include DKDC, B-Side, Hi Tone, and the Lamplighter. Look for schedules or go by word of mouth — some amazing bands are only appearing at the afterparties, including David Nance Mowed Sound, River City Tanlines, Whippets, and tons more!
A big part of Gonerfests before COVID was having visitors experience different venues around Memphis. The Hi Tone, Murphys, The Buccaneer, DKDC, and Memphis Made all hosted epic Gonerfest shows. Since Covid we’ve consolidated everything into one venue for the fest, but these afterparties get you into different spaces and meeting different people. We appreciate the effort that being a live venue demands... go check out some more Memphis spots and support the folks providing live music in town!
For a (nearly?) complete list of Gonerfest afterparties go to the Goner Records Calendar Page! Gonerfest.com
GONERFEST 21: STREAMING
We are again sharing our awesome lineup with all the people unable to come to Memphis to do this thing in person. The past few years’ streaming Gonerfest were huge, unexpected successes! Running an “IN REAL LIFE” and online festival at the same time presents a whole bunch of new challenges. We’ve planned for months, took what we learned in last few go-rounds, procured some of the Mid-South’s top video talents, and we’re ready to present Gonerfest 21 online in a way that captures the fun without killing the vibe! $20 for four days of music is an insane deal! See all your favorites in the comfort of your own couch! In your pajamas, if you want! Drunk off your ass in the middle of the afternoon if you so desire! Chatting with Gonerfesters from around the globe at the same time. Great!
The Gonerfest 21 Stream is included in your Gonerfest Golden Pass. Others need to get a ticket!
Besides the streaming fest we’ll have additional content from past fests, free movies, and more.
Streams will remain up for one week so that people in different time zones can catch up… but the festival will not be available for people to watch after that. Don’t miss out! So cash in while ya can!
Scan the QR Code to get your ticket and hop right in the fun, or go check out Gonerfest.com for more info.
RAILGARTEN
2166 Central Ave, Memphis, TN 38104-5501
We are very lucky to have access to a venue who can host our crowd everyone outside, safely, and also can put up with all our hair-brained ideas. Hats off to you, Railgarten! Please be courteous to their servers, bartenders and staff — these are long hard, hot days and we’re all in this together! We know Gonerfesters are great but we just wanted to make the point — these people are really busting their butts so we can have a great festival and we need to recognize it! Tipping encouraged, there should not be an auto-grat but as always, check your bill!
TRANSPORTATION / PARKING
We recommend taking UBER, LYFT, or cabs to the venue. There is parking but it is limited. If businesses are open please do not use their parking lots. There is also parking along Cooper. Don’t get towed. Be safe. CIty Cabs: 901-722-8294
GONERFEST BEER
BEER AND GREAT MUSIC. YOU KNOW IT WORKS!
Once again we have to bow down deep to our friends at MEMPHIS MADE for once again providing a special beer for Gonerfest 21, using the great graphics from Eric Clausen and Sara Moseley. Ask for it by name wherever cold beer is sold!
We can’t thank Memphis Made enough for all they do for us!
Go by their new great spot-between Midtown & Downtown at 16 S. Lauderdale, Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 207-5343
TAPROOM HOURS:
MONDAYS & TUESDAYS: CLOSED
WEDNESDAYS: 4-7 P.M.
THURSDAYS: 4-7 P.M.
FRIDAYS: 4-10 P.M.
SATURDAYS: 1-10 P.M.
SUNDAYS: 1-7 P.M.
You can grab a sixer or more of Gonerbrau & Golden Pass at most of the liquor and grocery stores in town!
green bay, however, actually is. the moon is not made of green cheese.
GBUFO invasion fest 2025!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
4:30 Doors
5:00 OPENING CEREMONIES
2:00-4:00PM
CHECK-IN PARTY AT CENTRAL STATION
Get your Gonerfest Wristbands, avoid the crush at the gate and enjoy some great tunes with early-bird Gonerfesters!
HOT TUB ERIC will be DJing.
5:30 PULL CHAINS
(MEMPHIS, TN / ATLANTA GA)
MC Billups Allen
DJ Bizzle Blue Bland
5:30 PULL CHAINS
6:15 TH’ LOSIN STREAKS
7:00 MOTO
7:45 OKMONIKS
8:30 RMFC
9:30 SO WHAT
10:00 DERV GORDON
Shut the front door! Is this a brandnew band rocking a revolving guitar/ bass/vox lineup of Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound, Oblivians, Compulsive Gamblers, etc), Jesse Smith (Carbonas, Gentleman Jesse, etc) and Joseph Plunkett (Country Westerns, Gentleman Jesse) with Eliza Hill on drums? Where exactly can one go wrong here? Releases coming and we cannot wait. What a way to start the fest... WOW! Do not miss this!
6:15 TH’
LOSIN STREAKS
(SACRAMENTO, CA)
Sacto’s longtime enthusiasts of obscure freakbeat and well-dressed but short, sharp and searing 60’s garage. Originally active in the ‘00s and known for their 2004 lp, Sounds of Violence, Th’ Streaks broke up in 2010 but returned in 2018. They’ve since delivered two more great albums on Slovenly. Let the garage dance party begin!
THURSDAY MC: Billups Allen (Memphis, TN) Star of the hit online series GONER TV. Accomplished dog-walker and author. His work can be seen in Razorcake, Ugly Things, and his own Cramhole zine. Read his book, 101 Movies You Can See Before You Die - it’s on Goner Books!
DJ: DJ BIZZLE BLUEBLAND (Memphis, TN) Jared “Jay B” Boyd is a major mover and shaker in Memphis music and culture, programming WYXR radio, hosting shows, writing articles, and keeping the spotlight on quality jams from all over but especially Memphis.
7:00 MOTO
(SPANNING THE GLOBE)
What the AC/DC t-shirt is to any random Target location, the M.O.T.O. t-shirt is to Gonerfest. Come find out why and celebrate a half-century of powerpop/garage-everything/rock-everything autonomy, as Paul Caporino brings M.O.T.O. back for the first GF appearance since the pre-pandemic days. Check out 2023’s Wall of Phlegm on Michael Bateman’s Nuthin’ Records. Hits: “I Hate My Fucking Job.” “Blast Of Silence.” The greatest song ever written: “Magic Words.” Hooks for days. “Catamaran.” “Meet Me By The Flagpole.” So many great songs! So little time! “The Chicks Can Tell.” “Chokin On Your Insides.” “We Are The Rats” I mean, I can’t stop! “Dance Dance Dance To The Song On The Radio.” “Never Been To Me In A Riot.” “Deliver Deliver Deliver” “Primeval” !!!
7:45
OKMONIKS
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA)
The ‘OKs’, as they address one another, are quartet of true lifers adept at good-times garage rock cheekily self-described as “DMZ-meets-The Lyres” (that is pretty funny), Led by a one Helene 33, this is the exact organdriven cave-punk party implied by song titles like “Teenage Timebomb”, “Rustle Up Some Action” or “It’s Not You”. Garagers living in a garage you’d wanna live in, fulla pinball machines and the best jukebox ever!
RIYL: Mummies, Fastbacks, Reigning Sound, Mighty Caesars, Delmonas, Gories, Back from the Grave, Lyres, Rondelles, Frumpies
8:30 RMFC
(SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA)
RMFC - This stands for “Rock Music Fan Club”...a pretty big operation one would think, but that’s beside the point. When you were in high school did you study bass lines of New Order’s Peter Hook or Stephen Tolhurst’s drumming in The Cure and successfully apply these influences (plus others) to a one man band? You can answer ‘yes’ but we won’t believe you. YES another insane Aussie band in the Gee Tee / Tee Vee Repairmann / Research Reactor Corps vein. IE Essential mindblowing punk rock punk! Catch the Thursday night set and become a member of the growing RMFCFC. First of many Australian bands in the fest!
9:30 SO WHAT
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA)
Soul stompin’ glam fans from the Bay Area! Back after a triumphant set at Gonerfest 14. Will whip the crowd into a frenzy, then back up the mighty DERV GORDON for the night’s finale!
DERV GORDON WITH SO WHAT
10:00 DERV GORDON (EQUALS)
(LONDON, UK)
Derv Gordon, co-founder and lead singer of The Equals (the UK’s first interracial rock band), is already Gonerfest headliner royalty after proverbially burning down the stage at GF 14 in 2017. This year he returns to do the same for the Thursday night lineup, again backed by So What. Prepare yourself for soul-stomping of the highest order! Hits include “Police On My Back,” “Michael & The Slipper Tree,” “Baby Come Back,” “Hold Me Closer,” “I Won’t Be There,” “Softly, Softly,” “I Get So Excited,” “Viva Bobby Joe,” “You Got Too Many Boyfriends, “ “My Life Ain’t Easy,” “Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys,” “Diversion,” “I Can See, But You Don’t Know” and don’t forget the amazing “The Skies Above.” Will this set ever end? We hope not!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
12:30 Doors
1:30 MSR JEFFREY EVANS & ROSS JOHNSON
2:15 SEX MEX
3:00 PUPPET WIPES
3:45 CLASS
4:30 TH’ RETAIL SIMPS
5:30 TUBE ALLOYS
6:15 SLEEVEENS
7:15 PYPY
8:15 CHEATER SLICKS
9:15 GEE TEE
10:30 JON SPENCER
FRIDAY DJs:
Martin Meyer (St Louis, MO) Lumpy from Lumpy & The Dumpers - and Soup Activists! Royalty in our midst!
Marina Machetez (SF, CA) Supreme Sound Selector from the Bay Area!
FRIDAY MCs:
Lucy Isadora (Jackson, MS) Big Clown’s lead provocateur knows how to rev up the peoples!
Twinkle Van Winkle (Indianapolis, IN) She may have been living up North for decades but she’s always from Mississippi to us... legendary singer / drummer for Perfect Fits and Jenny Jeans - who played the Goner store’s Grand Opening. Welcome back, Twinkle!
1:30 MSR JEFFREY EVANS & ROSS JOHNSON
(COMO, MS / MEMPHIS, TN)
Goner Fest faves since before there was a GF. That might not make sense, but it actually sort of does. Two erudite ambassadors of anything and everything rock and roll related that’s worth knowing. Could probably do some kind of wildly-entertaining “all 21 Goner Fests in 21 minutes” thing, but don’t give them any ideas. Wait…make that 21 hours. Famously spent an early Gonerfest set talking, talking, talking and barely playing a song. Legends.
2:15 SEX MEX
(SAN ANTONIO, TX)
San Antonio’s Sex Mex musically channel the now-timeless bedroom-overdriven distorto-pop rush of Jay Reatard’s Blood Visions chapter with some drum-machine bounce a la the historically-adjacent Digital Leather, plus other aesthetic callbacks to the glorious aforementioned era of no-fucksgiven, mixed with a generous helping of nuevo-wavo guitar/ keyboard-driven Gee Tee-esque adrenaline Aus-punk.
3:00 PUPPET WIPES
(CALGARY, CANADA)
Whether intentional or not, the primarily-forgotten outpop/fringe/noise/deconstructo-free-rock micro-scenes of the 90s have a current torchbearer in the form of this Canadian duo. Full-length The Stones Are Watching and They Can Be a Handful appropriately released in 2022 by Siltbreeze, which is exactly where the band would have ended up if they were active 30 years ago. Entrancing, heart-stopping moves.
RIYL: Strapping Fieldhands, The Shaggs, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, The Tower Recordings, Sun City Girls, Miss Pussycat’s Puppetshow Soundtracks
4:30
3:45
CLASS
(TUCSON, AZ)
Hey, search engine optimization wasn’t a thing in the mid-tolate-70s, and neither was Tucson’s Class, but you wouldn’t know it by the historical attention to detail re: pub-rock, powerpop, hooky-punk and no-B.S. rock. Class probably know what Cyril Jordan had for breakfast on this day in 1976. And their Bandcamp bio is a wish-I’d-written-it work of art. Brilliant and. under-the-radar – Goner Fund Advisors say BUY.
TH’ RETAIL SIMPS
(MONTREAL, CANADA)
“…Recalling the double speak of VU’s murder mystery, the soul bent lament of Fred Cole and the bastardized funk of Minutemen, the Simps have widened their sonic palate and created yet another masterpiece of the modern age. This is the southern soul of Memphian tradesmen flipped on it’s snowy head, conjuring an impure regionalism that was largely thought to be dead and gone. An alternate kind of Northern Soul with a frosty Arctic sheen. More spazzed out guitar, more howling lunacy, more heat of the moment, turnt poetry and outside the box-isms.” Total Punk
The Simps return after tearing up the stage at Gonerfest 20! What the what!
5:30 TUBE ALLOYS
(LOS ANGELES, CA)
House band for the International Museum of Post-Punk History, if that existed, but with stuff happening here that doesn’t fit the ‘77-’82 timeframe implied (like some Sonic Youth and noise-rock). New enough and true enough to the sound that the internet can’t decide if they are from Australia or The U.K. (try L.A.). Named for the U.K.’s top secret pre-Manhattan Project efforts to develop nuclear weapons, Tube Alloys released their debut full-length in 2022 on La Vida Es Mus/Urge Records. An Aussie in Los Angeles’ take on Wire’s excellent punk deconstruction? Tube Alloys rule.
7:15
PYPY
(MONTREAL, CANADA)
Members of Duchess Says, CPC Gangbangs, Red Mass, Les Sexareenos and more return after a decade absence with the best take on post-punk we’ve heard in recent memory. Equally likely to lock into an ESG/Delta 5 groove with a Hall and Oates hook as it is to grow a hundred foot tall wall of riffs and roll right over you in a Jay Reatard-style punk onslaught. Upcoming second full-length on Goner in October!
6:15 SLEEVEENS
(NASHVILLE, TN)
Punked-up pub rock or rocked out pub.... pun....ok screw that. If you’re a fan of The Only Ones or Cheap Trick, and you should be on both counts, then don’t miss this newish Nashville/Dublin outfit. Sleeveens got signed to the highly-regarded Dirtnap Records after their stellar set at one of last year’s Gonerfest afterparties! They’re on the big stage this time, and ready to deliver, big time. Viva Good Vibrations label head Terri Hooley!
PYPY BY DOMINIC BERTHIAUME
8:15 CHEATER SLICKS
(COLUMBUS, OH)
Columbus’ OH’s best and loudest have been consistently growing a voluminous rabbit-hole discography since 1989. Shortly thereafter they became the G.O.A.T. of 90s garage-rock by not only being the gnarliest, noisiest and loudest, but also through a restless urge for experimentation that found the band stretching out and pushing boundaries rarely approached by their contemporaries (barring the like-minded Oblivians/Necessary Evils/Dirtbombs axis of evil). The Cheater Slicks’ 90’s run of albums on In The Red is an essential chunk of underground rock exceptionalism for fans of all things….I dunno…..great. With a triumphant return to In The Red for last year’s amazing Ill Fated Cusses album, the Slicks are an unstoppable (not even triple-bypass surgery!!) force ready to show you noises you didn’t know a semi-hollowbody could make. The added stun bass of James Arthur (Necessary Evils, Legs, Fireworks, James Arthur’s Manhunt) and Bobb Hatt’s saxophone will add to the Slicks’ maximum blastitude.
9:30 GEE TEE (SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA)
Since burning up the stage for GF 19, Sidney Australia’s gloriously silly garage crew has a new LP (last year’s Goodnight Neanderthal) on Goner and a reissue of their 2018 debut on Goodbye Boozy, an album of demos, and probably more! Lead by main maniac Kel Mason, there will be no taking of anything too seriously and will provide the perfect vibes for the Saturday night pre-headlining slot. The leaders of the new school!
CHEATER SLICKS BY DANIELLE PETROSA
10:30 JON SPENCER
(NEW YORK, NY)
This entry should simply read, “Does it really need to be spelled out here?” . But if you’ve lived with a pack of feral dogs up until last month (but still learned to read) (and are interested in garage rock and somehow ended up in Memphis for this festival and are reading this now), let’s just say that if you are attending Gonerfest, then there is a good chance you are a fan of at least something this man has touched, There’s the namesake Blues Explosion, Pussy Galore, Boss Hog, Gibson Bros., Heavy Trash or Jon Spencer & The Hitmakers... all gold! Underrated somehow after bringing the blasts for so many years — hearing Pussy Galore & JSBX songs with fresh ears will blow you away! The fountain of youth… it is available to us here on Earth! It’s… ROCK N ROLL!
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
12:30 DOORS
1:30 CLOUDLAND CANYON
2:15 FEELING FIGURES
3:00 SOUP ACTIVISTS
3:45 BENNETT
4:30 MICHAEL BEACH
5:15 SCHIZOPHONICS
6:15 ROSALI
7:30 SPLIT SYSTEM
8:30 ANGEL FACE
9:30 ETRAN DE L’AIR
10:30 RIP OFFS
1:30
SATURDAY MCs
Ryan Hailey (Los Angeles, CA) Memphis guy / internet sensation Ryan delivers the MC goods with humor, energy, and aplomb. Check out his stuff online!
Terre T (New York, NY) Legendary host of WFMU’s Cherry Blossom Clinic returns to MC once again! The best in the biz!
SATURDAY DJs
Byron Coley & Tom Lax (Northampton, MA / Philadelphia, PA) Yes, they’re back! Legends of rock, Coley from Forced Exposure mag / Feeding Tube Records, Lax of Siltbreeze mag & label. They’ve got the goods and they know how to use ‘em!
MIichael Bateman (New Orleans, LA) Nuthin’ Records boss is a record-hoggin’ know it all behind many fine New Orleans events including The Rockening. Ruthless, demanding, and world-class.
CLOUDLAND CANYON
(MEMPHIS, TN)
Reemerging last year with a new album on Medical Records, the long-running spacerock/drone/minimalist/ psych concern of Kip Uhlhorn has released albums on the esteemed Kranky Records and one can expect them to sound exactly like a band that has a song titled, “Krautwerk”. Featuring local legends Graham Burks and Thomas Corbin, these sound synthesizers know how to get lost in a groove with a bunch of twisted machines. Dreamy!
2:15
FEELING FIGURES
(MONTREAL, CANADA)
Is French-Canada the new Australia in the Gonerfest Universe? Dunno but Joe Chamandy of Quebec’s Th’ Retail Simps has this other band that has quite a knack for the really good kind of 90s indie-jangle. Songwriters Zakary Slax and Kay Moon have this record called Migration Magic that K Records wishes it had released in 1996, so it released it last year, which is way better on all counts. Rockin’ Indie Rock — a mix of Eleventh Dream Day & Heavenly? Maybe!
3:00 SOUP ACTIVISTS
(ST LOUIS, MO)
A longtime enthusiast of the intersection we know as stupidity@brilliance, Martin Meyer (Lumpy and the Dumpers, Lumpy Records) goes full-on shamble with a fleshed out sound, nuance and songwriting that recalls TV Personalities Dan Treacy at his carefree best. Fans of those TVPs and saucy yet fragile off-kilter pop take note!
3:45 BENNETT (MEMPHIS,
TN)
Charismatic personality-rock with the excellent “Glass Ball” and “Hang Around” singles dropped since last GF appearance plus a debut album on Goner that’s actually on the way, with a backing band which includes members of Ibex Clone. Pls note: There will be tickets issued for anyone found parking on the dance floor. But not sobbing while they sway.
4:30 MICHAEL BEACH (MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA)
A highlight of both Gonerfest 19 and the label roster itself, Michael Beach has logged a decade of applying wickedly-magnetic songwriting to whatever he wishes, be it lopsided Crazy Horse workouts, art-damaged ROCK, or piano/torch balladry that will put something in your eye. Make sure to check out his most recent single, “The Sea”; a six-minute statement of purpose that builds into what we would want the end of the world to sound like. Wickedly underrated, while he is onstage you must acknowledge that a master of sound and emotion is at work.
5:15 SCHIZOPHONICS
(SAN DIEGO, CA)
Pat Beers first impression of rock and roll as a young’un was seeing KISS on one of their innumerable farewell tours that occurred during the 90s. So it makes sense that San Diego’s Schizophonics deliver their rock-andsoul party fuzz as if they are always playing in front of 100,000 people. The festival is not without bands preceded by their reputations as jaw-dropping live acts, but this is….well…this is the one. The Olympics may be over but guitar gymnastics pretty much started and ended with Pat from the Schizophonics… that he can do all that while delivering full on MC5-worthy ramalama blowout dance rock n roll is a flat-out miracle! DO NOT MISS!
6:15 ROSALI
(PHILADELPHIA, PA)
Since stunning the Gonerfest 19 crowd into instant fans of something they didn’t know they loved, Philadelphia’s Rosali signed to Merge Records and released the career-defining Bite Down album earlier this year. You know those first-quarter/firsthalf best-of-the-year-so-far listicles? Find one that did not include Bite Down and I will show you all of Memphis’ operating payphones. As with round one, Rosali is backed by the more-than-capable hands of David Nance & The Mowed Sound. Ranging from fragile to raging, Rosali has an effortless control of range and dynamics, resulting in a monumental live show.
7:15 SPLIT SYSTEM (MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA)
Tough, flat stick street punk with plenty of hooks, a style that has helped the band establish themselves as an unmissable live act over the last few years. The band have continued to develop their sound, now ranging from melodic mid-tempo chuggers to moody post-punk as well as maintaining the pumping 70s-infused oz speed punk boogie energy they were initially known for.
Split System chooses substance over style. You won’t find this lot posing for shots at your local dive bar turned gastro pub, they’re more likely to be found holding up the front bar with a couple of bloody noses.
Reissues of Split System Vol 1 & 2 now available LP on Goner!
8:15 ANGEL FACE (TOKYO, JAPAN)
Tokyo’s Angel Face is the latest excuse for Fink of Teengenerate/Firestarter/American Soul Spiders fame to go full parkour on a venue stage. We know this is one of those ‘you had me at ‘Tokyo’...” moments, and you know to expect a lot of incendiary but smiling chaos courtesy of a type of rock enthusiasm we just don’t see very often from American yobbos. Seriously, this band would choose boiled leather jackets as their last meal. Garage Punk royalty from a scene that has spawned some of the best!
10:30 RIP OFFS
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA)
9:30 ETRAN DE L’AIR
(AGADEZ, NIGERIA)
Goner brings Agadez, Nigeria’s finest back to Memphis, but this time to the GF stage and if you missed Etran De L’Air’s 2023 appearance at Growler’s, well here’s a chance to see their patented ‘happy desert blues’ in an outdoor setting where it was meant to be experienced. Intense guitar interplay that just spirals off into infinity faster than you can count. Flat out amazing. Hold onto your head… it might just fly off.
If the garage rock underground of the last 35 years had a board of directors, Greg Lowery would have laughed them out of the room a long time ago and named himself sole chairman. Within a timeline that would require volumes (including one for footnotes), Lowery formed the Rip Offs in 1993 (and the Rip Off Records label) following the dissolution of his previous garage rock trio, Supercharger. The Rip Offs added everything that needed to be added and nothing more: More punk, more guitar, more nastiness, more velocity, more hooks. The combination of Lowery with brothers Shane & Jason White and Jon Von (Mr T Experience) created a white-hot garage punk supernova that burns bright to this day. Appropriately, they called it a day a year after releasing 1994’s Got A Record; an album loved by everyone from rockabilly freaks to crust punks. The Rip Offs have played sporadically (primarily a treat for those in Japan or Europe) since reuniting in the late-00s, but this is a Goner Fest first. We are so excited to host Budget Rock Royalty: THE RIP OFFS!
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
12:00 Doors
1:00 NED COLLETTE
2:00 WATER DAMAGE
3:00 RYAN DAVIS & THE ROADHOUSE BAND
4:00 ONEIDA
6:30 GONERFEST ALLEY SHOT @ GONER RECORDS
8:00 DJ COMEDOWN PARTY @ DKDC
1:00 NED
COLLETTE
(BERLIN, GERMANY)
SUNDAY DJ
Ross Fisher (Chicago, IL) Brides main man ruling the wheels of steel on our last afternoon.
SUNDAY MC
Erik Grincewicz (Nashville, TN)
Golden-throated Golden Pelicans singer, recently relocated to Nashville, will guide us throught the final day of the fest!
As a solo artist or with Wirewalker, Sunday opener Ned Collette has spent almost two decades coming at the singer-songwriter/cosmically-rural thing from a markedly more experimental angle than most of his contemporaries. This is absolutely not to be missed by fans of John Fahey, Leonard Cohen (his vocals are uncanny), the Gastr del Sol/David Grubbs/Jim O’Rourke axis, Jack Rose, David Pajo/ Papa M, Roy Harper, Sir Richard Bishop and so on.
Originally from Australia but now based in Berlin, records on Feeding Tube and more.
2:00 WATER DAMAGE
(AUSTIN, TX)
… and BAM! It’s on! Imagine if a band was good enough to never have to move beyond song intros. Performing the civic duty of making sure festival attendees are wide awake and alert for the impending drive/walk/flight/bike ride/ boat trip home, Water Damage is a rotating collective that has laid a NEU!/SWANS/Dirty Three/Glenn Branca scorch of macro-minimalism and repetitive pummel across three full lengths since 2022 via 12XU. Either perfect, hilarious, or both for the 2pm Sunday slot. Get another Bloody Mary and HOLD ON!
3:00 RYAN DAVIS & THE ROADHOUSE BAND
(LOUISVILLE, KY)
Back to the known! Ryan Davis is the man behind the great Louisville rock band State Champion, the great Cropped Out Festival and the great Sophomore Lounge label. His first eponymous project, the Roadhouse Band, released the excellent Dancing On The Edge album last year on Sophomore Lounge. RIYL early Palace/ Will Oldham/Bonnie Prince Billy, Magnolia Electric Co. etc, and even if you don’t like those sounds. Ryan & co will WIN you! Heartwrenchingly perfect moves in a genre that seems played out until you hear it done right. And RD & THE RH B do it right!
4:00 ONEIDA
(NEW YORK, NY)
Those of a particular vintage might remember a stretch in the 00s when it was not uncommon to see Brooklyn’s largely-unclassifiable Oneida 2 - 3 times per year. But no one of any vintage is wondering if perhaps they attended an Oneida show and the recollection got lost in the mix, as it would be permanently burned into the folds. In the late 90s, Oneida had a huge part in establishing the use of non-traditional/industrial show spaces in Brooklyn that would of course transform into a massive scene by the next decade. Oneida incorporates Krautrock, noiserock, synth-everything, prog-pop and minimalism into something that sounds like nothing before or since, even inspiring Memphis’ beloved. As of this writing, Oneida has released 16 full lengths and as many singles/EPs/splits since forming in 1997. From sublime and succinct pop to extended minimalist jams that sound like Ash Ra Tempel being chased by an Amazon van in reverse…it’s everything in between those extremes plus more. Onstage, as referenced above, Oneida has maintained a reputation as one of the greatest live acts for the last 25+ years. Crossing over into the museum/gallery world with ease has seen Oneida perform at Guggenheim Museum, MoMA PS1, MassMOCA and the Knoxville Museum of Art.
Oneida’s 2024 non-guest lineup remains the core of Kid “you’ve got to see that drummer!!” Millions, Hanoi Jane on guitar/bass and Bobby Matador on organ/bass/ vocals, with longtime band engineer Barry London on synths/organ/effects and Shahin Motia on guitar. Oneida will be closing out the festival with one long bang that you won’t want to miss.
5:30 ALLEY PHOTO
Shot next to the Goner Store! Get there after Oneida is done, but give our crew a little time to wrap things up!
8:00 DKDC
Get a chance to either talk to the people you haven’t had a chance to talk to amidst all the rock n roll… or just whatever is left of your ass off to amazing DJs all night.
Available now:
The Sheaves - A Salve For Institution LP Red Herrings - Zax Armoire LP
Dot Dash MixTape comps Vol 1 & 2 Fantastic Palace archival cassette
Coming in 2025: new releases from Nape Neck, The Sheaves, Weegee, and more!!
CELL\BORG
SMASH BLIPS LP
Recordings from 2023/2024 on vinyl for the first time mastered by Mikey YoungBi-Coastal Kosmische/Synth/Wave/NDW WEEGEE
PRIMITIVE THRILL LP
Dark, Heavy Post-Punk from NYC - 2023 debut cassette now re-mixed/re-mastered on vinyl! For fans of The Bad Seeds, early Sonic Youth, These Immortal Souls
Spacecase Records
Out now
BARON OF LOVE: MORAL GIANT by Ross Johnson, third edition coreleased with Goner Books
THE MARILYNS - “I’m Glad I’m Not a Man” b/w “I’m on Acid” 7”
GENERAL LABOR - “Illuminator” b/w “Tastes Metallic” 7”
Coming soon: new singles by TRUE GREEN, JEFFREY NOVAK, and ROSS JOHNSON WITH CLOUDLAND CANYON
THINGS TO DO IN MEMPHIS
First timer? Revisiting places you’ve been on previous visits? Have some time to explore? Planning to come back? These are some landmarks of Memphis Music and Memphis History. Wander around, check out the city. Tell everyone you’re here for Gonerfest!
SUN STUDIO
706 Union Ave
True American original Sam Phillips founded Sun in 1950. A year later, he produced Rocket 88 – the Jackie Brenston jam that, with the help of Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm, spawned this whole rock and roll thing. Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Little Milton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and countless others made their historic contributions thanks to Sun. Current tour guides include “drummer in all bands” Graham Winchester and brilliant singer songwriter Mark Edgar Stuart. Bask in this holy site.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
926 E. McLemore Ave
A great museum created on the location of the original studio. A space where black, white, male and female musicians created music during heated times. It’s hard to comprehend the influence these studios had on American music. A trip to the museum sure can help. Otis Redding, Wendy Rene, Booker T. and the MG’s, Johnnie Taylor, Rufus Thomas, and so many more recorded on this site, and their effects on history run deep. Isaac Hayes’ car spinning on a massive Lazy Susan is fun to watch and talks to you, too.
ROYAL STUDIOS
1320 Willie Mitchell Blvd
Still an active studio – Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson cut part of “Uptown Funk” here – Royal was where Poppa Willie Mitchell cut Hi Records hits from Al Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay, and OV Wright, as well as his own killer instrumentals. Not set up for tours like Sun or Stax.
ARDENT STUDIO
2000 Madison Ave
Yes, Big Star recorded their magical albums here! And drummer Jody Stephens, one of Memphis’ greatest ambassadors, is the current VP of Production. A legendary place for many, with Alex Chilton’s Like Flies On Sherbert, The Replacements Pleased To Meet Me, and ZZ Top’s Eliminator recorded there. Among many, many others! Not set up for tours. Hopefully in years to come we can again set up some walk-throughs for Gonerfesters!
GRACELAND
3717 Elvis Presley Blvd.
Pushed out of his 1034 Audubon Dr. home due to an increasing need for privacy, Elvis settled down for the rest of his life in Memphis at Graceland; an expansive plot of land where myth, memory, and Elvis himself are interred. Never mind the kitsch and capitalist grip they have on his name-- what can be gleaned from his time on earth can be felt in the walls of Graceland.
METAL MUSEUM
374 Metal Museum Dr.
On the bluff of the Mississippi just south of Beale St. is the Country’s only museum dedicated to the fine art of decorative and conceptual metalwork. There’s a smithy on site and an excellent view of the river from the gazebo. Native American ceremonial mounds are right across the road.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
From the Greenbelt Park in Harbortown to the strange nooks and crannies behind the Church on the River, there are some spectacular places to enjoy a sunset on the Mississippi. Find a place to chill while you’re here, the Air BnB or Motel 6 can only do so much for the soul. This river is the whole reason Memphis is here. CHECK IT OUT! PS The northern “New” bridge is fixed and open. And lights up at night! The “Old Bridge” to the south has a killer walking path across to Arkansas.
FULL GOSPEL TABERNACLE
787 Hale Rd.
Provided he’s in town, Reverend Al Green can rectify any wrongdoings that may have occurred while you were here. If you can stomach waking up on Sunday Morning, that is.
JAY REATARD’S GRAVE: MEMORIAL PARK CEMETERY
5668 Poplar Ave.
Take a trip out east and pay homage to someone very special to the Goner name. Isaac Hayes is buried right next to him, and across the road is the bizarre Crystal Shrine Grotto. Hallowed grounds!
See also the cool Jay mural at South Main St & Vance downtown, a short walk North from Central Station Hotel.
OTHER THINGS TO DO IN (AND AROUND) MEMPHIS
Should a quest for the more obscure tickle your fancy, here’s a few places to get you started. The following locations give Memphis the glimmer in the diamond of its magic.
ELVIS’ FIRST GRAVE: FOREST HILL MIDTOWN
1661 Elvis Presley Blvd
Before Elvis was interred at Graceland, he was alongside his mother at the haunting mausoleum in the back of Forrest Hill Midtown. Take the winding road past decadent monuments and through rolling hills to get to it. It remains an off-the-beaten-path holy space for Elvis fans and another mythic locale for his legendary life. Allegedly people would attempt to break into his grave here.
FURRY LEWIS’ GRAVE: HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY
2012 Hernando Rd
Behind Forrest Hill Midtown is the abandoned Hollywood cemetery. Despite its terrors, it is the final resting place for Walter “Furry” Lewis; Memphis Blues legend. His grave is difficult to find, but some online sleuthing and a keen eye can reveal his humble tombstone.
CHARLIE FEATHERS’ GRAVE: FORREST HILL SOUTH
2545 E. Holmes Rd
Any Rockabillies looking to pay their respects to their king can find him out past the airport in an unassuming branch of the Forrest Hill cemeteries. He’s in the back and on the right- ask the staff!
CHRIS BELL’S GRAVE: MEMPHIS FUNERAL HOME
AND MEMORIAL GARDENS
3700 North Germantown Parkway Bartlett, TN 38133 The 27 Club has its famed members; Morrison, Joplin, Cobain...even Amy Winehouse. Fixed on that list is the lesser known (but more relevant??) Chris Bell-Big Star’s founding member and “I Am The Cosmos” singer. Ignore the mural on the side of Otherlands and pay respects at the above address. See also the Big Star tribute section of Mortimers Restaurant on Perkins if you’re a Big Star fanatic.
JOHNNY CASH STATUE
999 S Cooper
Right around the corner from Goner, a Johnny Cash statue near the site of his first public performance. The bronze statue was carved by first-time sculptor Mike McCarthy, famous for his great sleazy movies and comics, including the great Sore Losers starring Jack Oblivian.
BIRTHPLACE OF ARETHA FRANKLIN
406 Lucy Ave.
Though her family relocated to Detroit when she was two years old, Aretha Franklin was born here in Memphis; just down the street from what would become Stax Records (now the Stax Musuem.) Man, what a neighborhood! The house still stands, barely. See it while you can.
SUMMER AVENUE
Restaurants, antique stores, thrift stores, and etc!
Summer is an excellent example of Memphis economics at its finest and a wonderful stretch to explore and discover. While Midtown homes flip and renovate, Summer Avenue mostly remains the same, incorporating new immigrants and Memphis natives in a great patchwork of trailer parks, liquor stores, import stores, thrift stores, antique stores, and more. Expect to see duct-taped side windows and bungie-corded car trunks, some truly astoundingly dangerous driving, and a glorious expression of Memphis’ “we’re gonna hustle or die trying” ethos.
MUSIC STORES
Martin Music 2659 Poplar Ave
Guitars, amps, strings, etc!
Nice folks! Not GS A-Holes! Tell ‘em Gonerfest sent you!
Memphis Drum Shop 878 S. Cooperaround the corner from Goner! Biggest drum shop for hundreds of miles! Tell ‘em you’re here for Gonerfest! Gong room open by appointment only.
LIQUOR / BEER STORES
BEER/LIQUOR TIPS:
• Liquor stores open at 8am-11pm Monday-Saturday!
• Liquor & wine is not sold in convenience stores and gas stations.
• Wine is sold in Memphis supermarkets, but not on Sundays.
• Beer is sold til 3am - but not until noon on Sundays.
• Liquor stores can open on Sundays after noon.
Open containers are not allowed on the street, unless that street is Beale Street, and you probably don’t need to be on Beale Street unless you really need that Hurricane and another version of “Mustang Sally.” But if you’re there, check out Schwab’s.
Kimbrough Liquor 1483 Union Avenue
Smallish store but extensive selection! Solid neighborhood liquor store, right next to Little Italy Pizza joint on Union Ave.
Southpoint Grocery 136 Webster
Joe’s 1681 Poplar Ave.
Knowledgeable staff, Amazing selection. Iconic
Sign - Carries Gonerbrau!
Tip Top 1883 Madison Ave.
Small Bottle Shop for a grab-and-go
Half Pints/Pints available on floor.
Buster’s 191 S. Highland
Large Store with extensive wine/accessories selection a bit East of the action.
Cash Saver 1620 Madison
Cheap and extensive local beer selection, across from old Gonerfest location Murphy’s.
New full-service grocer downtown! A couple of big blocks from Central Station, nice selection of beer & wine, deli, etc. A civilized small grocery store- you’ll wonder if you’re still in Memphis!
BBQ SPOTS
Payne’s 1762 Lamar Ave.
The Real Deal. Near Goner. Atomic yellow slaw. Now takes credit cards! What? Get there early- meat sells out by 3pm.
Souvenir alert: Get a Payne’s BBQ T-Shirt, coveted worldwide. They will sell their sauce, too! Gifts for Xmas – DONE!
Cozy Corner 735 N. Parkway
Get the Cornish Hen! Or ribs! Tip from Fuck & Fake’s Tim Prudhomme: Rib tips are the best deal per pound. But gristley… choice is yours! They also sell out early Note: They also have killer T-shirts. They also sell their sauce! Stock up!
Rendezvous 52 S. 2nd Street Memphis Institution, In an alleyway, underground.
Dry rub BBQ. Kinda tourist trap BBQ, but an experience.
Central BBQ 2259 Central
Should be open directly across from Railgarten by the time of Gonerfest... or not!
BBQ Shop 1782 Madison
BBQ Spaghetti? BBQ Spaghetti!
Plus Texas Toast! Fun to say and quite fun to eat, too! Author Robert Gordon recommends their ribs, and BBQ Shop is one of the few good BBQ places were you can enjoy a beer with your cue.
Tops
multiple locations
Fast food BBQ but still good! Cheeseburger is their secret weapon- grilled to order.
Bain BBQ 993 Cooper St
Around the corner from Goner, Bain is Texas BBQ, specializing in beef brisket but coming on strong with smash burgers and other meatly attractions.
MEXICAN
Maciel’s 820 S Cooper
Around the corner from Railgarten, down the street from Memphis Made… good tacos, watch out for the burritos. But Tacos! No human trafficking accusations, so there’s that.
Burrito Express 1675 Madison Ave
Burrito Express is legit taco truck and is cash only.
Los Comales 1322 Madison Avenue
Los Comales good for margaritas & decent tacos & sitdown fare. Scott Rogers’ Margarita Mistake is a Gonerfest Sunday post-alley photo tradition!
Also if you find yourself down Summer Avenue, all taco trucks are good. Everything on Summer Avenue is good. Be careful, but have fun.
EVERYTHING ELSE
Beauty Shop 966 S Cooper St
Perfect for a brunch – in an old Beauty Shop! Patron of Goner projects forever. Check out Bar DKDC next door. Right around the corner from Goner Records.
Gus’ Fried Chicken 310 S. Front Street / 730 S. Mendenhall
Killer fried Chicken with 40’s to wash it all down. Now a franchise you can try across the US. Visit the original location in Mason, TN!
Kwik Chek 2013 Madison Avenue
Sandwich shop frequented by the locals. Still cheap!, Also Korean Noodles next door at Crazy Noodle. Go see Goner’s fave server Gally!
Soul Fish 862 S Cooper
Excellent, simple seafood and Soul Food done right.. A fave of visitors and locals alike.
Fino’s Italian Deli 1853 Madison Italian sandwiches, pizza, and deli. Billups’ fave.
Young Avenue Deli 2119 Young Ave. Extensive menu and beer selection, close to Goner. Big, greasy burger.
Arcade Restaurant 540 S Main
Oldest restaurant in Memphis, a classic diner for breakfast / brunch. Across the street from the Central Station hotel & train station.
As seen in Jarmusch’ Mystery Train film. True trip back in time.
GONERFEST ADVICE
SOME EXCELLENT TIPS FROM SOME LOCALS WHO KNOW
MEMPHIS NEIGHBORHOODS TO CHECK OUT
Ezra Wheeler, Shangri-la Records
Welcome to Memphis, Gonerfesters!
We’re sure glad to have ya’ll here, even if our erratic drivers suggest otherwise (don’t take it personally). As you probably know, Memphis is a hardscrabble town with a rich cultural history, and like many such towns–New Orleans, Baltimore, and Oakland to name a few–some of our finest amenities are often hidden within plain sight. At its core, Memphis is a city of smaller neighborhoods, which is often the best way to navigate around town. Here are, in no particular order, just a handful of the area’s I’d suggest checking out.
Crosstown:
We Memphians have become a bit skeptical of “Grand Projects” coming to town (you’re probably aware that our most famous architectural landmark is now the home of a bait shop), but it’s hard to deny that the converted Sears building now known as the Crosstown Concourse has been anything but a resounding success. The mixed-use behemoth is now home to a great deal
of worthy places to check out, but the Memphis Listening Lab and Crosstown Arts should both be near the top. Also of note are the Hi-Tone, Flip Side, Alex’s Tavern, and Wild Bill’s, one of the South’s last remaining juke joints.
South Main Street: A bustling little area in Downtown Memphis, S. Main retains its old-school charm with plenty of ways to spend an evening. Earnestine & Hazel’s is a late-night dive with an incredibly rich history and at least one ghost; Eight & Sand is a hip cocktail bar with live DJs nearly every night; Wiseacre Brewing produces some of the city’s finest beer in a tap room that resembles a ‘90’s Nickelodeon fever dream…or simply park your car, walk around, and see what catches your attention.
The Madison Corridor: To be clear, this is not really recognized as an entertainment district per se, but few stretches of Memphis retain the “old Memphis” vibes quite like the stretch of Madison Ave. that includes Ardent Studios, Shangri-La Records, Kwik Check (a no-frills deli with Korean options), some of the best ribs in the city at the Bar-B-Q Shop, and several of the best dive bars in the city within walking distance of each other ( the Lamplighter Lounge, Zinnies, and Murphy’s)
Soulsville: A historically Black neighborhood that was the hotbed for Southern R&B in the 1960s and ‘70s,
Soulsville contains the Stax Museum for American Soul Music, the still-functional Royal Studios, the birth home of Aretha Franklin, and the Four Way, a soul food restaurant that was once a favorite of Dr. King.
Cooper-Young: The home to both Goner Records and Gonerfest, CooperYoung probably doesn’t need much introduction to you veteran festers, but there are several new amenities in the area worth checking out. If you’re looking for a pre or post-Gonerfest drink or a bite to eat, Memphis Whistle, Cooper Street Project, Bar Keough, and Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos are all beloved newish additions to the hood. That said, don’t sleep on tried-and-true favorites such as Bar DKDC, Soul Fish, and Payne’s BBQ (my personal favorite).
VEGETARIAN FAVORITES IN THE M-TOWN
Jared “Jay B.” Boyd, Program Manager — WYXR
If you’re like me, you might want a hearty vegetarian lunch or dinner to get a good base on your stomach before you party. No need to be tempted to taste the barbecue you’re sure to smell on any given corner. Here are a few of my non-meat and alternative meat favorites in the area.
Slider Inn’s
Veggie Chicken Sliders
Since going fully vegetarian, I’ve struggled with late-night Krystal cravings and Chick-Fil-A’s signature Christian chicken sandwich. The best of both worlds in veggie form can be found around the corner from Gonerfest in a delectable, bite-sized
Sammy, complete with a little pickle and squirt of mayo to aid you in slipping the slider down in a hurry.
Imagine Vegan Cafe’s Meatless Spaghetti and “Fish” A long held tradition in Memphis’ African-American church community is the fish fry fundraiser. The common side items at these soul-stirring events include a dollop of coleslaw and a healthy helping of spaghetti dressed with ground beef and tomato sauce. I didn’t know this was a particularly odd pairing until it was brought to my attention in college. Fuck what anybody else thinks. There’s no other way I like to enjoy catfish. Except… I don’t eat meat anymore. Two doors down from Goner Records, you’ve got a restaurant with fake fish and a faux-meat Memphisstyle spaghetti. So, have at it. It’s a lot of food. So, share it with a friend.
Louis Connelly’s Bar for Fun Times & Friendship’s Mango BBQ Bowl
Perhaps you’ve traveled to Memphis before and had a night you don’t want to mention at the former site of Printer’s Alley. Hey, feel free to keep the details to yourself. The bar’s recent makeover included more than its transition from a short, punchy name into one that is much too much a mouthful. It apparently has been pressure washed. And the questionable floor tiling has also been mostly replaced. It’s even clean enough to eat inside. Among several vegetarian options is a rice bowl with mango BBQ sauce. So, see. You can leave town with a bit of Memphis BBQ in your belly.
Young Avenue Deli’s Chickenless Chicken Philly While it’s a wonder how Young Avenue Deli’s cartoonishly big mozzarella sticks aren’t unique enough to be a tourist attraction all their own, there are some other interesting bites on their menu. You’ll need something a bit more substantial to sustain the Gonerfest haul. How about vegan chicken and vegan cheese on a bun with peppers and onions?
Mulan’s Pineapple Fried Rice with Tofu Tried and true fried rice can keep you going. Chunks of juicy pineapple keep this dish refreshing and interesting. And the tofu helps to fill you up.
PARKS:
ANDY EARLES’ TIPS OF ALL KINDS
Andy Earles
Author, Journalist, “Grotto of Miracles” host, WYXR
Overton Park
Need a min with nature? Overton Park has walking trails through one of the only old-growth forests left in the region and it is conveniently located in Midtown.
Shelby Farms
Need an hour or more? Out east but actually in the city limits, Shelby Farms is one of the largest urban parks in the world, at approximately 5 times the size of Central Park. You can do pretty much anything outdoor-related here…except maybe that. Miles of trails. Horseback riding. Fishing. Whatevs. There are BISON.
FOOD/ETC:
Lucy J’s Bakery @ Crosstown Concourse
Cheap. Great cinnamon rolls and
chocolate croissants. And excellent name-your-price (donation) coffee.
Mad Grocer @ Crosstown Concourse
1350 Concourse Ave
Excellent deli. Highly recommend the BLT, grilled cheese, fancy mac & cheese and french dip (off menu), but the menu is vast. Note: Only open until 6pm, and closed Sunday.
Dixie Queen
2442 Summer Ave
Open until midnight. No add-ons at the window because the menu is a short novella that will be crack for adventurous eaters. It is virtually impossible to read the entire thing from a car window. Can only recommend the usual suspects: Burgers, milkshakes and the catfish is really good.
Riko’s Kickin’ Chicken 1329 Madison Ave
Amazing strips, wings, AND GREAT CATFISH (which is just “fish” on the menu). Get everything tossed in honey-hot and if you’re feeling really self-destructive, throw in the loaded cheese fries.
Sunrise
670 Jefferson Ave
This really is the best breakfast in Memphis and sometimes the line tracks with this fact- but through some mojo magic it moves! There is also an East Memphis location at 5469 Poplar Ave…a straight shot down Memphis’ most aggravating thoroughfare.
Brother Juniper’s
3519 Walker Ave
In UofM area, therefore close to everything. Perhaps a tall request for GF, but try to get there early, as the line is brutal for a reason. Def get the biscuits & gravy and they do a great omelet.
MISC:
Ebbo’s Spiritual Supply (NEW LOCATION) 1999 Madison Ave (next to Kwik Check)
Candles, cards, herbs, books, crystals, gems, incense and whatever else might be needed for a mental regrouping or cleansing of one’s room at the Motel 6. Were those stains there last night?
AMVETS Thrift Store
2526 Elvis Presley Blvd
Might be the oldest thrift store in Memphis. Huge…and surprises occasionally live amongst the Godspell and Three Dog Night’s Greatest Hits, but you know how that goes. Not exactly on the beaten path, but close to Graceland, and driving the graveyard-lined Elvis Presley Blvd gives you a good dose of “real Memphis.”
Mary’s Bar of Tropical Escapism
588 Cooper St
Memphis’ Only Tiki Bar, brand spankin’ new! Legit Tiki drinks around the corner from Railgarten. Small bites and a patio.. get there early or go late as it gets crowded!
Knifebird
2155 Central Ave
Wine bar directly across from Railgarten. Perfect for a mid-show sneak away. Insane selection with great eats, dimly lit and “cute”.
Bar Keough
247 Cooper St
No BS bar down the street from Railgarten, staffed with music lovers and a solid jukebox. Small bites, Negra Modelo and Guiness on tap.
Cameo
1835 Union Ave Suite 103
Same owners as Mary’s B.O.T.E., fantastic cocktail bar with a killer burger. Dark, moody interior with loud tunes.
B-Side Inside Minglewood Plaza
1553 Madison Ave
NIGHTLIFE & EATS
Cole Wheeler
Gfest Artist Liason / Fest Strategist (No relation to Ezra)
Need a breather from the rock? Wanna see what Memphis has to offer late night? You may wanna visit, but are not limited to...
Host of aftershows and a solid venue otherwise, this is the closest thing you’ll get to the Buccaneer...run by long time bartender Brad Boswell and staffed with familiar faces of the old Bucc days.
Hi Tone
282-284 N Cleveland St
Gonerfest may have outgrown her, but she’s still rockin’ and rollin’! Voted a bar in Memphis since 1999, home of Trash Cat. Upstairs and downstairs venue spaces. Say hi to Skinny!
Lamplighter
1702 Madison Ave
Midtown dive bar staple. Home of aftershows and endless stories. No liquor, but by the time you’re there you won’t need it.
Ernestine and Hazel’s
531 S Main St
Incredible old haunt with the feel of Memphis oozing from the walls. Right by Central Station, get a soul burger and go upstairs to visit Mr. Nate.
Pumping Station
1382 Poplar Ave
Large with a variety of spaces, the Pump has been serving up drinks for the Gay community since 2001. Check their ad in here for more details!
The Cove
2559 Broad Ave
Nautically-bent
full service bar with great drinks and great food, replete with vintage decor and a ship’s bow built into the bar. Yes, replete.
Murphy’s
1589 Madison Ave
Heavy pours, cheap beers, and a solid pool table. Home to many epic Gonerfest afternoon shows of yore and even more stories of the Memphis late night world. Benny Carter’s legendary Irish bar.
Petals of a Peony
2110 Madison Avenue
This new-to-Midtown restaurant is quite simply the bridge between the $5.99 lunch special at the mall food court and a Bourdain-esque eatery, offering authentic and accessible family style Chinese that will open your world. With vegetarian/vegan options available, your entire fest crew will be pleased. Great for a lovely pre-show date for the couples, too. Family owned and operated, give them your money.
Sen Trang
1615 Madison Ave
Midtown’s beloved Pho Binh shut it’s door earlier this year... but like a phoenix from the ashes, it has risen as Sen Trang. Vegetarians/vegans take note! The lemongrass tofu is very much the same.
Casarap
6195 Macon Road
Memphis’ only Filipino restaurant. Open Thursday-Saturday, Casarap offers truly authentic Filipino cuisine, cafeteria style, at very affordable prices. With incredible staff, consider this for a pre-fest lunch adventure out east.
Elvis’ First Grave: Forest Hill Midtown
Freshly renovated, the mausoleum at Forest Hill Midtown is primed and ready for Elvis die-hards to visit where he was first interred alongside his mother. The road into the cemetery fades from contemporary tombs to the gothic allure we all want out of a cemetery, spitting you out at the massive mausoleum made famous in pictures of his funeral.
MEMPHIS TRIVIA
ANSWERS ON PAGE 69
5 - What famously-reclusive creative genius currently resides in the Memphis area?
A. Bobby Gentry
1 - Which of the following songs served as The Bar-Kays’ commentary on the apparent freak epidemic of the early 80s
A. Freak-A-Zoid
B. Freakshow On The Dance Floor
C. Freaks Come Out At Night
5. Super Freak
2 - What does “Head of Femur” mean?
A. The first successful craft brew brand out of Memphis
B. The part of Elvis’ anatomy, below which camara operators on The Ed Sullivan Show were instructed not to film below.
C. An important Memphis DIY space from the 90s.
D. Short-lived studio-only band consisting of members of His Hero Is Gone, Deaththreat, and Bob Forrest from Thelonious Monster.
3 - On the back of the Antenna Club reunion t-shirt/repro, which band names are misspelled?
A. “Super Chunk”
B. “Jaw Breaker”
C. “Cop Out”
D. All of the above
4 - Tav Falco’s Panther
Burns was the first band to play the newlyrenamed (from “The Well”) Antenna Club in March of 1981. What was the second?
A. The Fall
B. R.E.M.
C. Discharge
D. Mission of Burma
B. Thomas Pynchon
C. Axl Rose
D. Jandek
6 - Stax Records’ early-70s ill-fated comedy imprint was called…
A. Parteee! Records
B. I Have To Be Up For Work In One Hour Records
C. I’m Still Up & The Birds Are Singing In The Bushes Records
D. It’s 5AM Somewhere Records
7 - The first Smithsonian research project not located in Washington D.C. or NYC ended up in Memphis and became what museum?
A. The National Used Compact Disc Museum
B. The Memphis Rock & Soul Museum
C. The National Museum Of Earthquake Unpreparedness
D. The Memphis Funk Metal & Witch House Museum
8 - The longest published work of nonfiction was written by a Memphian. What was it?
A . My Story by Ross Johnson
B. Mullion Williams’ The Annotated History of Memphis’ Potholes
C. Shelby Foote’s The Civil War
D. Paving Over Our History by Waterhouse
Fleming
9 - What mega-band played Memphis on three separate dates over a 15-month period in 1969/1970?
A. Black Sabbath
B. Led Zeppelin
C. The Band
D. The Beach Boys
WHO SAID IT?
ANSWERS ON PAGE 69
1. “I don’t go in for wild living. The only thing I want that’s wild is the stage.”
2. “We couldn’t get dates... We all had big Elvis-style sideburns, which couldn’t have helped.”
3. “The music we are involved in today has no commercial potential… I do take pride that some of the people that I worked with—Jon Spencer and Jay Reatard—became successful.”
4. “Ask not what your local DIY musicians can do for you but what you can do for your local DIY musicians.”
5. “In my freshman year of college I saw the Cheater Slicks and The Oblivians. After seeing the Cheater Slicks, I had almost no interest in watching the Oblivians play. They had an amazing, negative vibe. It was something of an epiphany.”
6. “People might not connect with our music personally or aesthetically, that’s fine and understandable. But you know, I think it’s pretty apparent that we’re not like most bands.”
7. “This is music I like, I like to play and think that if I like it other people will like it too. It’s not brain surgery, it’s simple punk rock, the only stuff I like.”
8. “As for the music, I specialize in saying a lot of things that many are thinking but don’t really find comfort letting out. You’d be surprised how many are thinking what you’re thinking but just waiting to know that others are similar.”
9. “We just made noise for an hour and taped it. It’s similar to what The Germs and other punk bands did at the time. It was nothing identifiable as music although it was thrilling and exhilarating.”
10. “Man, I ain’t got no favorite projects. Noooo—once they’re over with, they’re over with!”
11. “We was gangstas then. Everyone was gangstas. That wasn’t meaning we were out killin’ nobody—it was just a word. We would watch gangster movies all the time.”
12. “I was a performer, kind of an actor, an alternative one, who worked in a group that had little to do with actually making music with instruments as such. It was more of a performance—‘art action’ you might say.”
13. “I was different from everybody else because everybody said I was some kind of ‘vert’—not a pervert, but like an introvert or something. This guy hangs out over in the corner and mumbles to himself.”
14. “I remember being at MOMA with my grandmother and there was a white canvas labeled ‘The Tree’. My grandmother goes ‘That’s ridiculous! There’s no tree in that picture,’ which was a totally fine reaction. Mine was… ‘What is a tree? What is a painting? And what is a canvas?’ That’s what punk rock did to me with music.”
15. “The weird kids grow up but somehow remain the weird kids.”
A. Monsieur Jeffrey Evans
B. Bobby Matador, Oneida
C. Tav Falco
D. Ross Johnson
E. Dana Hatch, Cheater Slicks
F. DJ Spanish Fly
G. IMAKEMADBEATS
H. Greg Lowery, The Rip Offs
I. Rev. Al Green
J. Jeffrey Novak
K. Jon Spencer
L. Willie Mitchell
M. AWFM
N. Stefan Murphy, the Sleeveens
O. Robert Gordon
GONERFEST FLASHBACK
How do you even start trying to describe/ encapsulate the feels, vibes, sights & sounds of the Memphis magic that be GonerFest? No wonder it’s rambled on to its twentyfirst edition. Tis a thing unlike any other gathering. It’s a heavenly hot mess of hip shakers, sound spell casters, mountain shifters, & top shelf misfits. It is a grande convergence of love & affection in houses of cool ass stylistic directions. Hosted, helmed, hustled & lovingly harangued by thee finest of beings, Eric, Zac, Cole, Alec, Sara et al….I have no doubt left out a swag of other indispensable essential peeps responsible fer GFest doings…
Me meself have witnessed & waded in person through three 4-day buzzfests. Not easy listing highlights cuz it all ruled, all the time, every time. But to name a few fond memories…
> NOLA posse TRAMPOLINE TEAM nailing a whip crack version of Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law” at the Hi-Tone
> Aussie amalgam of MICHAEL BEACH & core parts of THIGH MASTER shakin’ down supreme Velvets/Stones/Triffids action at Murphy’s
> Wee hours people writhing, possessed band craziness, swamp psych punk stomp & snarl by tour mates BRAIN BAGZ in 2017 at DKDC
> LA leathered poundin’ primal Dangerhouse styled jerk punk roll combo DIE GROUP at the Hi-Tone. Ain’t a GonerFest w/o power couple Eric & Stacey.
> Original REIGNING SOUND line-up relentlessly showering us with their sublime gut & heart felt trad roknrol hit after hit.
> GOLDEN PELICANS pullin’ all parts of what is the hardest in the fields of rock together in an unmatched chugganaut. Rose Tattoo meets Negative Approach meets raw NWOBHM. Never seen so much beer thrown at a band in sheer untethered adoration & admiration.
> Catching the best people Elijah & Laura in BLOODY SHOW. Whatever these cats do is crafted with spit, sass, passion, luv & care. Took such good care of us meandering NZ fools in Ohio, and was jus a blessing to catch them lay down that Midwest weird & wonderful rok at GonerFest only the Midwest can provide.
Could mumble, stumble & bumble endlessly ‘bout all the insanely great folk I’ve met & made friends with, played with, been ecstatically entertained by, & all the ace food that’s disappeared down my gullet, & the wild, weird & wacky wax I nabbed at the Goner shop. It’s GonerFest folks. A fix on life you’ll fizz on fer days afterwards, and haveta deal with the severe withdrawal symptoms a week later. It. Is. That. Good.”
Feel sad every time a GFest passes now that I didn’t/couldn’t get to!
Next year I hope!
ANDREW TOLLEY
Perpetrator Records, Warm Leather, The Hasselhoff Experiment. Wellington, NZ, three-time Gonerfester
GONERFEST 21
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ANSWERS ON PAGE 69
ACROSS
1. PyPy's Annie-Claude's previous band
4, DJ Todd From FMU who DJ'd at Gonerfest 20
5. What The Chicks Can Tell in MOTO song
8. Gonerfest 20 Ancient Stars
10. Earlier Band Name For Bailter Space
11. Cheater Slicks early bassist Alpo was previously in this famous Boston Band
14. Australian Michael back at Gonerfest 21
16. Feeling Figures bassist Joe’s band from Gonerfest 20
18. Angel Face’s Fink’s famous Tokyo punk band with his brother Fifi
19. Greg Cartwright’s pre-Oblivians Outfit
20. Oneida’s famous minimalist song encouraging light-looking, covered by Sector Zero
21. Jeff Evans, Ross Johnson, Jon Spencer had this kind of party in Sun Studios with The Gibson Bros
24. East Orange, NJ radio station simulcasting during Gonerfest 21
26. Split System Arron Mawson’s Other Band
28. Goner fave BBQ Spot on Lamar
30. Class’ home in Arizona
31. “John Henry” singing Memphis Blues Man
32. Band from Calgary at Gonerfest 21
2. Ryan Davis’ Louisville label
3. Greg Lowery’s band with Donnie Denim & Karen Singletary
6. Kel Mason’s manic Sydney band
7. PYPY Hometown
9. Main Memphis River
12. Gonerfest 20 Headliner, Head Osee
13. City Etran De L’Air comes from 15, Harahan Fats
17. Mystic Memphis structure on the Mississippi
22. Equals “I Get So ”
23. Jon Spencer’s infamous 80s band with Bob Bert
25. Goner Hotel Partner doubles as a Station
27. Schizophonics home
29. Soup Activist Martin Meyer’s label
MEMPHIS TRIVIA ANSWERS
WHO SAID IT?
ANSWERS
C
C
C
C
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE ANSWERS
THANKS
FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR COMING TO GONERFEST. We appreciate the effort it took to decide to come here, plan the trip, and actually do it! There’s no way we could have gotten this far without all the help and support from bands and fans and friends from Memphis and around the world. 21 fests. Who woulda thought?!
Big thanks to Eric Clausen & Sara Moseley for the art and merch designs, as well as stage decorations and myriad other cool design choices. Gonerfest looks fabulous and it’s all because of you! MWAH!
Thanks to our Goner staff for working through all the ridiculous logistics Gonerfest creates, especially Alec McIntyre and Cole Wheeler, but also Billups, and Dane for dealing with everything at the store as we rush around making chaos happen. Thanks to Dan Holloway for handling the music industry wheeling and dealing and Andrew McCalla for once again making the fest sound so good! Great to have Dustin Crops on board, also imported pros Aly & Edan for the help handling the gate and stage, respectively. Thanks again to Brent Shrewsbury for coordinating the Gonerfest Stream, a massive undertaking- PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! Film industry folks, hire Brent! We’d miss him but he deserves to be working on the biggest stages. What he has done with RCA cables
and surveillance cameras has been more impressive than a thousand Marvel productions. Thanks to the whole stream team - all the folks who lent a hand with camera work or behind the scenes in stream HQ. Thanks to all the livestreamers! We love being able to reach out and have a worldwide audience in real time! Thanks to Marsh Nabors and Graham Burks and Kerri Mahoney for the great online animations & graphics. Thanks to Lensrentals for help with the video gear! If you need a/v gear for a short time, hit ‘em up! Memphis-based, operating worldwide.
Thanks to all the DJs and MCs for adding their own flair to the proceedings and keeping it interesting from start to finish. Thanks to all the bands for coming from all over the place and making it the best party. Buy em drinks! Tell ‘em you dug what they did!
Thanks to Jeremy Malone and the crew at Railgarten for putting us on and making this thing work. Brandon Seavers at Memphis Record Pressing obviously is insane because no one else could put up with all the stuff Goner puts him through, and he is always helping us out of jams we make for ourselves. The GF21 golden pass EP and tote bags rule! Thanks to Drew and Andy at Memphis Made Brewery, the greatest partner a festival could have. Beer + music always works! Goner
beer? Amazing! We’ll see ya at the bar for a Golden Pass or a Gonerbrau. Cheers!
Thanks again to Corkey Sinks for program layout, Karl Baioni for the printing, Miguelito at Five In One Printing for the amazing posters. Every year these things just about kill us, but every year it’s worth it! We might not have hair left and no one has slept for a month, but it’s worth it!
Thanks to WFMU for coming! We love WFMU, we’ve been fans and listeners and supporters forever, and are thrilled to have them here doing a live stream, beaming a bit of Memphis back to New Jersey/NYC and back to the world.
Thanks to everyone for helping source gear for the bands and always to Will Floyd for the backline & PA help.
Thanks to Central Station for again being our home base and hosting the Early Sign-In on Thursday. Thanks to Memphis Tourism, Tamara & The Cooper Young Business Association, Ron & The Paynes at Payne’s BBQ, Eric at The BBQ Shop, Bain BBQ, the Stax Museum, Crosstown Arts, the Unapologetic crew for endless inspiration & motivation, Paul Wiseman for t-shirt printing, Karen Carrier at DKDC and Beauty Shop always, Devinn for check in help, and all the bars and folks organizing afterparties to keep the party going into the night! Thanks to Tennessee Tourism, E and the gang at ServisFirst Bank (our new bank! Check em out!), Downtown Memphis Commission, WYXR-FM, and the Memphis Flyer. Thanks to all the volunteers, bartenders, food truckers, clean up crews, Lyft & Uber & taxi
drivers, booking agents, caterers, publicists, door people, beer sellers, Event Ticketing Shopify app folks, Vimeo, and everyone at our streaming site who helped us make the online event happen. Thanks to Andria Lisle, Jared Boyd, Ezra Wheeler, and Brent, Cole, and Sara for their Gonerfest Guide contributions. No thanks to ChatGPT: AI sucks. Thanks to our families who haven’t seen us for a few months as we got ready for the fest. Thanks always to Hoppe, Jungle Jeff, Harlan, and Timebomb Tom. Thanks to Scott Rogers & Tommy Trouble. Thanks to Jay, Sarah, Louie, Shawn, Muddy Spear, Drewbie and all the Goners we lost along the way. Thanks to Benny & Jonathan & Charles & everyone who has hosted Gonerfest events over the years. All hail the Buccaneer, Murphys, the Hi Tone, Memphis Made, and that Vintage Clothes store on Cooper. Don’t forget Dan Garber! Thanks to all the folks we’re forgetting because we always do forget people because it takes SO MANY PEOPLE to make this thing happen. As always THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU! We know there’s a reason people come back year after year and it’s not just the great musicit’s the great people and the great atmosphere. Keep the fire burning! Thank You!
Please go back safely to where you came from and tell them you had a great time. Hopefully we will see you again next year for Gonerfest 22 with some new friends. We can’t wait.
GONERFEST 22
SEPTEMBER 25-28 2025
Make plans now!
Stay safe and take care!
