By Noe Gutierrez
A new music festival that supports burgeoning Rock and Roll borne out of the Coachella Valley will be debuting Saturday, January 25, 2019 at the Date Shed in Indio, California.
The inaugural PESCAFEST features its namesake Pescaterritory, motley metallers Instigator and Israel’s Arcade.
The show is the brainchild of Pescaterritory members Jason Zembo (guitar), Aiden Schaeffer (vocals), Nick Willman (drums) and Gavin Lopez (bass).
The Date Shed is at 50725 Monroe Street in Indio, California. Doors open at 8 p.m. Israel’s Arcade begins at 8:30 p.m., Pescaterritory is on at 9:20 and Instigator closes the show at 10:45. You can pre-purchase tickets at eventbrite.com or at the door for $10.
Instigator, Mark Wadlund, (lead guitar and vocals), Jaxon Fischer (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Garrison Calkins (bass) will be debuting their new drummer at this show (read to the end to find out who). The band is set to release their first full-length album this year through Regurgitation Records.
Israel’s Arcade is the solo project of Israel Pinedo. The line-up includes Pinedo on vocals and rhythm guitar, Jose Lopez on lead guitar, Marcus Laughren on bass and Daniel Ramirez on drums. The band released its first EP on Halloween 2019 and it received 30,000 listens in the first week.”
CV Weekly spoke with all three bands.
PESCATERRITORY
CVW: Tell us more about the motivation for Pescafest.
Zembo: “We wanted a venue in which we can play by our own terms and share our originals with the community. It wouldn’t be a fest without multiple acts, and we are thankful for the other bands performing. We thought they would work perfectly in this kind of setting and it gives each band an opportunity to share their creative output.”
Willman: “We’re all young up and coming bands and we thought it would be great to have a fest for high school kids and young adults in the valley. We know that with these guys, along with us, would bring a great crowd.”
CVW: What type of crowd are you expecting?
Scaeffer: “We are expecting the crowd to be mostly high schoolers that are ready to rock out.”
Zembo: “Yeah, whoever shows up to this should be expecting to hear lots of original compositions. We all want to share our musical ideas with the valley so this festival is for those who can appreciate original music.”
CVW: The Date Shed is one of our best live music venues and the three bands are all on the rise with your original music. What do you say to those who continue to question having to pay an entry fee for local talent?
Zembo: “The Date Shed is a quality venue and the audience should expect a great rock show. Each band is working hard on bringing in fans, and by exposing our fans to one another we can create a musical community. Hopefully this community can grow and keep original live music alive and well in the valley. We are here to prove our abilities as songwriters, we do not want to rely on covers to bring in a crowd, we believe our musicianship and originality is most important. Though the show requires a cover charge, you will be hearing quality music and supporting the future generation of this valley. You’re paying for a show, and a show it will be.”
Willman: “Think about it, we have three bands who work their asses off several hours a week to put on a show. The least a person could do is pay $10 to support local artists and to watch a kick-ass show by all the bands.”
CVW: Barry Tomes of US10 Radio and Monica Price are both traveling from England to meet you and discuss a possible tour of Europe. How does that make you feel?
Zembo: “Knowing that we are being recognized across the pond is a great achievement, and we are working hard to create more and more originals to help bring back Rock and Roll and to provide a fresh sound that pleases ourselves and our listeners.”
CVW: You are best known for your original music. How much of a catalog have you been able to produce?
Zembo: “We have about an hour’s worth of original music finished, but there are many unfinished ideas. We will be debuting two new originals at PESCAFEST, so don’t miss out on that.”
CVW: Will there be more PESCAFESTS?
Willman: “Maybe there will be more in the future but we’ll focus on this for now and see how it turns out.”
Zembo: “We have considered making it a yearly event, but we do not know as of now how it will go or what the future holds for us.”
Willman: “Also, PESCAFEST falls on Gavin’s 15th birthday! So we’ll celebrate that as well!”
INSTIGATOR
CVW: You have some breaking Metal news for us.
Wadlund: “Yes, Joe Boomer stepped down as our drummer after our last show at La Quinta Brewing Company, so we are extremely proud to introduce Nick Willman as the new Instigator drummer!”
CVW: What have rehearsals been like with Nick?
Wadlund: “It’s been about a week and a half of practice, after practice, after practice… and we sound fucking amazing so far! Nick has picked up everything so fast and efficiently. It goes to show he likes what he’s doing with us. We all have so much fun together and this next show is gonna be another step up from Instigator that the valley honestly ain’t even ready for.”
CVW: Now Joe was with you from the start. Can you tell us more about what happened?
Wadlund: “Joe was of course in it from the start with the rest of us from La Quinta High School. Joe wrote all his own parts and loved what he did being able to create music. With him departing Instigator, he will now be able to create/produce ALL of the music he’s ever wanted to without haste. I’m proud of Joe because I have the same integrity in him that I’ve always had, and I can tell that this will be our way of ‘letting him fly’, so to speak. Joe loves making music more than just making Metal music, if that makes sense and that was a very big part of him leaving. Plus, he found a better paying job to help him continue living on his own, as he has been for well over a year now out in San Diego. Joe Boomer was a very true bad-ass behind the kit and it was obvious, I’m glad he can spread his ‘bad-assery’ among the other facets of creating music; playing more instruments, making electronic beats, rapping, gospel stuff, reggae… just Joe stuff haha!”
CVW: Nick, what are your thoughts on stepping into another well-established band?
Willman: “I really like hanging out with Mark, Garrison, and Jaxson and it’s killer jamming with them. It’s another genre of music I’m looking forward to playing and we’ll see what the future holds.”
CVW: I’m sure Coachella Valley Metal heads will be relieved to hear that you will continue to fight on.
Wadlund: “We fight for Metal, because Metal has helped us all fight through something as well. I’m very excited for everyone to see this.”
ISRAEL’S ARCADE
CVW: Tell us a little about the background for Israel’s Arcade.
Pinedo: “Israel’s Arcade is my solo project. I write and record the music myself then teach it to my band so that we can play the music live. I started when I was 15 in 2017 but didn’t have a band until 2018. The original drummer was actually Nick from Pescaterritory!”
CVW: You are a product of the Academy of Music Performance, you’ve performed with some great musicians and you’ve developed a large following. How do you sum it all up at such a young age?
Pinedo: “Yeah, I’m 18, the bassist is 18 and the other two are 17. My current line-up hasn’t been in motion since the summer of 2019, it’s been the best yet. We’re all best friends. My EP was recorded by Will Sturgeon, head of the Academy of Music Performance and vocalist/guitarist of Brightener. We’ve always put together our own shows in our backyards and have grown a cult following that way.”
