Insubordination Fest Reigns This Weekend

This week is jam-packed with quality things to do. The Wind Up Space is closed through Monday for its summer holiday, but no worries, Golden West, the Bell Foundry and Ottobar more than pick up the slack.

As I mentioned last week, Insubordination Fest kicks off this weekend at the Ottobar, and serves as almost a bookend to May’s beginning of summer Death Fest. Much of the same crowd will be in attendance for the three-day festival that began Thursday night, and the same approach applies of packing as many bands into three days.

That’s about where the similarities end, however. Instead of being inundated with all the metal a human being can stomach, you will be bombarded with everything from the frenetic fury of thrash and post punk to the distortion heavy chords of shoegaze and anything else Insubordination Records has to offer.

This is Insubordination Fest’s sixth year, and like most festivals, each year produces more anticipation, more music and more mayhem as its popularity increases.

For a full listing of the 35 bands playing, check out Insubordination Records’ site here,  and click on the link to the flier. 

Friday features The Marshmallows at 6 p.m., The Dopamines at 9:30 p.m., Mikey Erg (yes, of the Ergs) at 11:30 p.m., and Danny Vapid and the Cheats closing out the night at 12:20 a.m.

Saturday doors are at 1 p.m. and the Quarantines take the stage first at 2 p.m. The Murderburgs play at 4 p.m., Fatal Flaw at 5:20 p.m., The Potatomen at 8 p.m., Emily's Army, at 8:50, the Copyrights at 11:30 p.m., and Chixdiggit at 12:20 a.m. Ticket prices are $27.50 for Friday, $38.50 for Saturday, or an even $66 for a two-day pass.

For something a bit more civilized – just a bit mind you – the Bell Foundry is hosting a Ten Minute Play festival all weekend long presented by the UnSaddest Factory. Thursday through Sunday, 14 plays will be presented that were chosen from a group of submissions and matched up with local directors. This is the third Ten Minute Play Festival, and if you’re bored or don’t like one, you only have 9 minutes and 30 seconds until the next one. Sows being at 8 p.m., cost is $7-$12 and the Bell Foundry is located at 1539 N. Calvert Street.

Festivals not your thing? Not a problem, Golden West has Iceage with Lost Tribes and Sprayer on Saturday night for $8. Yes, Iceage just came through and played Golden West in June, and if you missed it, here’s your chance to right that wrong. They might not be entirely deserving of all the praise that was heaped on their debut album “New Brigade” (“saviors of punk” is a bit much) but you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you’re a fan of post punk/noise/garage/raw rock and roll and don’t check them out on their second stop in Baltimore. Never mind the fact that they came all the way from Copenhagen, you can make it to Hampden to see them. Show at 9 p.m., $8 cover.

Tough decisions continue…….

• Sunday, at Ottobar. Gang Green, Idleminds, Angry & Broke and Swamphog. Here’s hoping Gang Green opens and closes with “Alcohol”!  Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., $12.

• Sunday, at Golden West. The Booze (southern fried garage), Lazlo Lee & the Motherless Children, DJ Landis Expandis. 10 p.m., $5 cover.