Garage on Fire!
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The Horizontal Action crew–Killings, Uncle Ted (aka Brett Cross), and Billiams (aka Baseball Furies drummer Matt Williams)–came up with the idea for the Blackout not long after they started publishing. “We thought, ‘Why not take all of these bands that we’ve been interviewing and have them play here on one night?’” Killings says. “They were bands that couldn’t really afford to go on tour or didn’t think they were popular enough to do so.” In 1997 Horizontal Action started planning what was to be the first Rock ‘n’ Roll Blackout; the show–which would’ve featured the first local gig by Detroit’s Dirtbombs–fell through after a miscommunication between the organizers and the Empty Bottle, their prospective venue, but the work they had done encouraged them to organize more live shows, sometimes as many as two or three a month, in small clubs like the Big Horse and Pops on Chicago.
Though the garage scene has lately been pillaged by the major labels, thanks to the success of former underground faves like the White Stripes and the Hives, and though the Blackout may well benefit from the hype, the Horizontal Action crew has tried to keep the festival low-key and intimate. “The bands get to drink for free the whole weekend, and they don’t have to worry about getting in or out,” says Killings. “We just try to keep it more on a friendly level and less of a business thing. We’re trying to keep the fun in it.” Probable highlights of this year’s Black-out include the Chicago debut of New York’s Little Killers, the first new act in five years on the venerable Crypt label; Syracuse vets the Penetrators, who’ve been bashing it out since 1976; and Austin howlers the Hard Feelings. All three bands perform on Friday night. The Blackout starts on Thursday, May 8, and runs through Saturday, May 10. See the music listings for more info or check out the zine’s Web site at www.horizontalaction.com.
