Word hit the internets over the weekend about New York DIY booker supreme Todd P’s plans to fly right over Austin, Texas this year and go straight to Mexico to throw one pretty sizable festival of his own — MtyMx. (The actual is never really spelled out — one would assume “Mighty Mexico,” right? Or maybe “Meaty Mike’s?” “Mountainous Mix?” “Minty mackerel?)
Announcements popped up a few days ago when the toddpnyc.com page got updated with the details and a list of usual suspect artists headed up by Dan Deacon, No Age, Fucked Up, and Acid Mothers Temple. A press release did the rounds today updating the roster to include a list of more (Andrew W.K. and Telepathe among others) and a promise of additions for the rest of the month, plus a full line-up of visual artists from all over the place doing murals and showing wacky art films.
Say what you want about Todd P — dude never ever booked my band 😦 — but the guy has an incredible flair for mixing completely inconvenient and incredible situations. Lightning Bolt shows in Polish social clubs, a tough-to-read and obnoxiously lo-fi website, marathon shows of ten-minute acoustic sets in the middle of the night at SXSW — it’s all part of his plan to get people way outside their comfort zones. (Don’t worry, Mr. P says: “MONTERREY: MODERN CITY OF 4 MILLION PEOPLE, WEALTHIEST & SAFEST CITY IN MEXICO”)
This will be no different — will bands get harassed and worked over at the Laredo border crossings? Will Mexican drug lords set up ambushes to steal stashes of sweaty day-glo American Apparel headbands? Will people actually take the “after-bar red-eye” bus he’s got set up to leave Austin at 2:30 am to the drive-in theater in Monterrey that this is all happening at?
Or will everything go off without a hitch and the rest of the world is left looking like the squarest dorks in the universe?
Who knows. The thing seems like a push into a brave new world, though, that’s for sure, and a welcome change from bands on every single level of indie rock band, label, fan and wannabe ponying up and driving thousands of miles just to be involved with the sprawling, bloated SXSW dealie. Plus here is the cost for a 3-day ticket: $30US. ???
From the PR:
JUST ADDED: Andrew W.K., Acid Mothers Temple (JAPAN), High Places, Ratas del Vaticano (MX), Telepathe, Pictureplane, Explode Into Colors, XYX (MX), TV Ghost, Teengirl Fantasy, Chikita Violenta (MX), Tanlines, Hunx and His Punx, Lucky Dragons
List of confirmed bands already includes: Dan Deacon, No Age, Neon Indian, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, F***ed Up, Das Racist, Lemonade, Thee Oh Sees, Pocahaunted, Indian Jewelry, Male Bonding, Best Fwends, Banjo or Freakout!, DD/MM/YYYY, Small Black and Liturgy, plus Mexican bands Los Fancy Free, Los Margaritos, Quiero Club, Los Llamarada and many many more!
Buy A 3-Day Festival Pass ($30 USD) here: http://tinyurl.com/mtymx3dtix
PURE DENIZEN 