This year’s Gonerfest, the eighth installment of local garage/punk label and independent record store Goner Records‘ annual underground music festival, was perhaps the biggest yet in terms of numbers, drawing fans from across the globe to Memphis for five days of rock ‘n’ roll insanity.
Goner co-owner Eric Friedl spoke to the Flyer this week via email about this year’s festival and what could be on tap for next year.
Flyer: How much time/work/etc. goes into producing Gonerfest each year?
Friedl: It’s a lot. Booking bands, hitting up sponsors, making posters & ads, writing the program guide, getting t-shirts and stickers done, producing the extra goodies (this year a giveaway 7″ record), coordinating volunteers and bands and equipment and trying to staff the events and the store, and then try to think of what else we’re forgetting and plan for any contingencies. The weirdest thing is that the hardest part comes about two months before the event, when all these things have to be already in motion, and then there is a lull while we wait for all the stuff to get produced, and then the festival actually hits and all these people show up and it’s a whirlwind of 16-18 hour days. Get to the store in the morning to try to get organized, stay at the club til 3 a.m., get up and do it again. It’s crazy and great!
