KLOS Sabroso Fest Offers OC Festival Flavor With a Kick

 

There’s nothing more OC than beer, tasty tacos, wrestling and punk rock. Anything less is like trying to talk about Charlie Brown without mentioning Snoopy… that just doesn’t work. Now that Warped Tour’s last run is upon us, Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Festival may be the next big thing for SoCal. This year’s lineup is exceptional. The bill is topped by The Offspring, and punk icons Pennywise and The Vandals. Also playing on the bill are alt rock favorites Unwritten Law, Me First & the Gimme Gimme’s, and Against Me! For the local skankers, there’s 3rd wave ska-punk favorites, Los Kung Fu Monkeys! For those who like kick-ass rock n’ roll, you’ll be able to check out Naked Walrus. Anyone who follows music knows any time you can get Dexter Holland, Noodles, Fletcher, Jim Lindberg, Joe Escalante and Scott Russo on the same bill, it’s going to be a Scooby-Do, cartoon crazy show!

If you’re not familiar with Sabroso, you’re probably asking yourself what exactly is this? The festival is in its fourth incarnation, and the Sabroso festival has become a juggernaut in an all-day celebration of all things Orange County. The festival will feature up to four hours of craft beer tastings and over 100 craft beers, including some of the best local favorites. That all being said and heartburn be damned, there’s tacos, tacos and more tacos!!! In fact, over 100 taco and beer vendors; you’ll be able to feast on local food trucks and local chefs who are ridiculously good. Dexter of the Offspring is a primary sponsor, so you’ll be sure to see his Gringo Bandito Hot Sauce being enjoyed by concertgoers. Other co-creators include Synergy Global Entertainment (SGE) and Brew Ha Ha Productions.  As in years past, this is a KLOS, 95.5 FM event. Representing the Rock of Southern California are Morning show DJ’s Frosty, Heidi and Frank. They’ll spearhead the first half of the live broadcast. The second half of the broadcast will feature DJ’s Marci and Gary.

 

Oh yeah, and then there’s LUCHA LIBRE! This Saturday, Doheny State Beach will be transformed into the Olympic Auditorium South! In SoCal, we still pay homage to the Golden Age of Wrestling; LA and OC locals still chant the names of the greats. Names like Freddie Blassie, Andre the Giant, and then there’s the bigger-than-life icon, Mexican luchador, Mil Máscaras. Other names from yesteryear include Jimmy Lennon; back in the day he was the voice of all that was cool!  It’s almost inconceivable to think how Lennon and those Wrestlers made it before the advent of social media, i-this, i-that and before the WWE was even a concept. It was a time before social media, Hulk Hogan and definitely before the Rock took us on a trek down the Jumanji trail. As for this year, two of the featured wrestling stars include Cesar Gonzalez (Silver King), who is a famous luchador out of Mexico City, and is widely known for his roleas Ramses, the villain wrestling champion from the feature film, Nacho Libre. Also appearing is Craig Williams (Human Tornado), who also appeared in Nacho Libre, as El Snowflake. Needless to say, a Lucha Libre spectacular fits in perfectly with an OC event that personifies the cultural aspects of this place we call home. Truthfully, the themes go beyond our area code; it transcends through everywhere USA. These themes bind generations to generations and when you combine them all, it’s a party. With that as a backdrop, top Lucha Libre-style wrestlers from all over the planet will take to the ring battling for the title of Sabroso Champion. There will be multiple qualifying wrestling matches during a series of qualifying matches throughout the festival. The final match will crown the Lucha Libre Sabroso Champion!

If you like your music loud, this year’s lineup is certain to bring a smile to your face. Naked Walrus is a must see, Unwritten Law and Against Me are always solid live acts, the Vandals are punk icons that always bring it. Expect tunes like Don’t Stop Me Now, Urban Struggle, and Lady Killer just to name a few from Dave Quakenbush and friends. If you’re not familiar with DIY ska-punk, this band from Tijuana, Mexico called Los Kung Fu Monkeys will teach you what it is to skank the night away. The Gimme’s are the premiere cover band that play punk versions of your favorite songs. The Offspring is the gold standard of punk rock entertainment; you can expect them to belt our mega-hits like Self Esteem, All I Want,  Come Out and Play, Bad Habit, Want You Bad, Gotta Get Away, The Kids Are Alright and Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), just to name a few. As for Pennywise, they are riding the wave of a successful release of their single, Never Gonna Die, which has an album entitled “Yesterday.”  The new tunes will be released on April 20th! Ear candy from Pennywise will include songs like Enemy, Victim of Reality, Fuck Authority, Alien, and uber-punk hit Bro Hymn. Needless to say, you’ll be in punk rock heaven!

If you miss this stop, not to worry, you can catch Sabroso on the road. After Dana Point, the festival will head off to a  six-date trek, which will see it hit places like Sacramento, Denver, Albuquerque, Tucson, Auburn and Portland. As for the other dates, Pennwyise and the Offspring will be featured at all stops, but they will swap out other bands throughout the tour. Those other bands include Fullerton’s favorite sons, Lit, and from the East Coast, there’s Boston’s wicked-legit Street Dogs. As for these other shows, Offspring’s Dexter recently said “Tacos and craft beer are two of The Offspring’s favorite things! We’re excited to be bringing Sabroso to new cities in 2018! See you at the show!”

If there’s any way to measure coolness and culture, Sabroso is the front runner. Consider that you’ll experience every imaginable type of taco, beer, and see every variation of faded jeans, black leather jackets and tattoos. This Saturday, grab your girl or your guy, family or friends…. and check out an event that captures what’s great about living in the OC. In a very punk rock way, you’ll see that punk rock, tacos and beer make the good times last a little longer, and it’s on the beach!

To help you plan your day, here’s the lineup and set times:

8:20 PM – The Offspring

6:20 PM – Pennywise

5:10 PM – The Vandals

4:00 PM – Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

3:00 PM – Unwritten Law

2:10 PM – Los Kung Fu Monkeys

1:20 PM – Naked Walrus