Photo by Jack GouldFor us anal types, there are misnomers galore surrounding this big-boffo Earth Day extravaganza. Like, why is it called the “seventh annual,” since fest organizers Carlo Terranova and Sean Francis took 2001 and 2002 off while they worked to get their swanky hipster lounge the Continental up and running? Shouldn't this be the Seventh Annual Minus Two Years Orange County Earth Day Festival instead? And what of the mounds and mounds of trash that'll inevitably wind up decorating the parking lot of the Fullerton Transportation Center when this planetary love-in thing is over? Can't these fucking slobs pick up after themselves? God knows we won't even get into the irony of the bands on this bill who ought to be fined for excessive noise pollution, but we kid Lit all the time . . . ba-dum-bump!
Really, though, with 20-odd bands spread out over three stages during this day-long affair, even the most titanium-hearted ought to find something worth listening to (and if you don't, damn thing's free-ass-free anyway, so you won't feel cheated when you walk out during Eve 6's sure-to-be-stupid set—whoops! There we go opinionating again!). The rest of the lineup? For headliners, you've got your Supersuckers and your Zebrahead (will Justin Mauriello spend more time singing or yacking this year? Show up and find out!). And then there's Mind Driver; the Color Red; Lefty; Handsome Devil; the plaid-o-rific Moseleys; Burnin' Groove, “Heaven Is a Halfpipe” wonders OPM; Adam Misfortune; Bullets 'N Octane; Wagner; Bitch Box; Trak 13; Rumblefish, Elseworth; a whole lotta Death (as in ” . . . On Wednesday” and “. . . By Stereo”); and ex-Dramarama mama John Easdale, who'll play his Earth Day song that no one knows the correct title of, but at least everyone can hum. Emceeing everything will be Puck, the nose-picking, fart-knocking gross-out king from MTV's The Real World: San Francisco, which ran waaaaay back in 1994—way to milk those last few droplets of celebrity, Puck!
Hot tip: arrive early and stake out a spot. Crowds should easily top the 12,000 or so who came out for the 2000 Earth Day fest, a year headlined by Reel Big Fish and Save Ferris. But regardless of the total body count, the afternoon should at least serve as an eye-opener for people who've never thought of venturing into downtown Fullerton before, an area that in recent years has acquired an honest-to-god nightlife, with free all-ages clubs such as the Hub Caf and the straight-ahead jazz sounds pumping out through Steamers. Just remember to deposit your refuse in the proper receptacles when you leave, all right?
The seventh annual OC Earth Day Festival at the Fullerton Transportation Center, Southeast Corner of Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue, Fullerton; www.ocearthday.com. Sat., 11 a.m. till dusk. Free.
