GET OUT

TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow

Follow us: @GetOutAZ

Last Train to Juarez shares its map to success

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

GetOut Editor

With a cowboy hat pulled deep to his eyes and a thick beard, Dejan Knezevic fits the red dirt/ outlaw country genre well.

He has his fans fooled – and that’s not a bad thing. Born in Chicago, Knezevic was raised by parents from Montenegro and Bosnia. Serbian is his first language. The Serbian coat of arms adorns his hat.

“My family is from former Yugoslavia,” he said. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of an American/Serbian country singer before. There’s a first for everything, I guess.” In late 2018, Knezevic formed Last Train to Juarez, following the lineage of his heroes, Ward Davis, Whitey Morgan, Hank 3 and Jamey Johnson. They celebrate the release of their debut album, “Some Road,” on Friday, March 18, at Roosters in Mesa.

“It was an awakening, so to speak, for me and I quickly started discovering a whole genre of country music that spoke to me,” Knezevic said. “It was around this time that I started seriously considering starting a project in the red dirt/outlaw genre of country music.” Last Train to Juarez is a departure from previous projects like Pelvic Meatloaf.

“I’ve been in the scene, in metal bands, for the better part of 30 years,” he said. “I didn’t grow up on country music. It was the red dirt/new outlaw movement that got my ears and sold me on it. It’s inspired me to go in this direction, to the dismay of a lot of my metalhead brothers.” Last Train to Juarez sees Knezevic singing for the first time, something that even surprised his wife of 23 years.

“Sure, I fronted a metal band in the past, but I never really tried singing,” Knezevic said. “What we did back then was death metal and growling so this whole singing thing was new to me. I wasn’t confident at all. But what I lacked in confidence, I made up with motivation and perseverance.”

In late 2018, he pulled the trigger and went all in.

He had a revolving group of musicians until April 2021, when the lineup was solidified as vocalist/acoustic guitarist Knezevic; Mark Tomeo, pedal steel, dobro, backing vocals; bassist Jonathan Candler and lead guitarist Stephen Dietrich. Additionally, fiddler/mandolin player Austin Brooks joins.

“Our music blurs the lines a bit and doesn’t fit neatly into any specific country genre,” he said.

“I’ve heard people refer to us as outlaw, red dirt, biker country and rock or metal country. Ultimately, what is most important to me as an artist is to write and create music that is pure, honest and authentic. Music that comes from the heart and soul, which is why I prefer to stick with originals over cover tunes.

“Granted, we do play cover songs out of necessity since we are a newer band and don’t have enough original material to cover a four-hour gig but that is quickly changing as I continue to write new material.”

Last Train to Juarez will celebrate the release of their new album with a concert in Mesa Friday, March 18. (Special to GetOut) By the end of this year, Last Train to Juarez will be playing 60% originals and “I have nothing against cover songs at all,” he said. “It’s just not what I want to do, and I feel there is plenty of cover and tribute bands in the Valley already. I get my kicks seeJUAREZ page 28 The punk band NOFX is a featured group at the Punk in Drublic festival at Bell Bank Park

The raucous festival is a genuine good time

BY ALEX GALLAGHER

GetOut Staff

Cameron Collins was drinking beer and listening to punk music when he had an aha moment.

“I’ve always been a NOFX fan and I was doing beer festivals,” Collins said. “One night I was sitting in my backyard having some beers and listening to NOFX and it hit me that this would be an amazing festival concept.”

Collins then called his good friend, NOFX bassist Michael “Fat Mike” Burkett, to pitch the idea.

“It was Cameron’s vision to do a festival that was the opposite of the Warped Tour and is something for older punk rockers who want to get wasted,” Burkett said. “I love Warped Tour, but I didn’t want to worry about what bands I’m missing, I wanted to feel like I was in a backyard listening to music and drinking a beer.” Though Burkett scoffed at the idea at first, he later jumped on board. He said “Punk in Drublic” — the name of NOFX’s 1994 album—would be the perfect moniker for the festival.

Punk in Drublic comes to Bell Bank Park on Saturday, March 19, with headliners NOFX as well as local legends Authority Zero and The Venomous Pinks. Beer and local food trucks will camp out there.

“Punk in Drublic is just a good title because this festival is about drunk

hearing performances by singer/songwriters who have stories to tell and that’s the path I feel is right for me.” “The fans we are picking up are wholeheartedly embracing what we are doing. I’d rather have 10 people intently watching, listening and appreciating our original songs over a packed room of people singing every word to a Luke Bryan or Florida Georgia Line cover song. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Just not my thing.”

Knezevic said he could pen pop radio songs to “make it big.”

“It ain’t about the destination,” he said. “It’s about the ride and so far the ride has been epic.”

Sometimes Knezevic can’t help but be drawn to music. In 2014, he visited Bosnia and, when he arrived, he was wired due to the time zone changed. From his families’ village, he could hear the faint sounds of music.

As he approached, he could see a fair amount of people under a canopy. He was concerned it was a Croatian, Muslim or Serbian party. “That definitely matters,” he said. “I tucked my Serbian cross inside of my shirt. If they asked, I was going to say I’m American. I saw two Serbian flags, so I

FESTIVAL from page 27

punk rockers,” Burkett said with a laugh. “What could be more fitting?”

With a lineup of friends stacked on the bill, Burkett had one request for the venues: hold the festival outside.

“I don’t want to play clubs anymore or a big festival,” Burkett said. “I feel (outdoors) provides a safe place for people who want to hang out and have a good time. This tour feels like I’m at home.”

Because of this, Collins said Punk in Drublic feels less like a traditional music festival and more like a genuine good time.

“Everybody leaves Punk in Drublic with their sides hurting from laughing. They have a great time,” he said. “It’s a comedy show with great music and tons of camaraderie, which makes it unique. There is nothing I do that’s like it and there will never be anything like Punk in Drublic.”

Burkett admits that his band is rare in that it does not practice and the setlist is penned the day prior.

“I write the setlist the day before and we don’t practice because that would make us predictable,” he said with a smirk. “I will, however, always throw in at least one song that people are not familiar with.”

Burkett isn’t fond of today’s modern punk rock, so he focuses on creating a show that pushes audiences outside of their comfort zone—with a few laughs thrown in. “These days, punk rock is mostly pop with safe lyrics and safe shows,” he said. “I’d rather get in trouble, which I do a lot, and put on a show that is punk and makes people a little awkward and makes them laugh. Punk in Drublic is not a business. It’s a party that we throw. We’ve taken the approach that we’re OK with whatever happens.”

2022 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS TICKETS ON SALE NOW

DBACKS.COM

took the necklace out of my shirt.”

As he walked up, the crowd formed around him. “I speak it fluently, but they could hear the accent. Apparently, it was a big party for two sons who were getting ready to go into the military. The military is obligatory. It was a big celebration with bands, they were roasting pigs, it was incredible. I’m sitting there trying to explain.” Then, a “little old lady” walked up to him and slapped him after he shared his story of walking through the woods and down the road by the refinery. “I thought, ‘Great. These people are going to kill me now,’” he recalled. “In Serbian, she said, ‘You (expletive) idiot. That’s all mined from the war, you moron. Keep him here until it’s daylight. Feed him well. Show him what an idiot he is. In the morning, they threw me in the car and every 15 feet there was skull and crossbones on a pole.”

If You Go...

What: Last Train to Juarez When: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Friday, March 18 Where: Roosters, 3731 E. Main St., Mesa Cost: Free admission Info: 480.985.4088, roosterscountrybar.net

If You Go...

What: Punk in Drublic When: Noon Saturday, March 19. Where: Bell Bank Park, 1 Legacy Drive, Mesa. Cost: Tickets start at $55 for the 21 and older show. Info: punkindrublicfest.com

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES AND SUDOKU from Page 29