There are many things bands try to achieve throughout their careers and very few reach those goals. The ones who do see past and go for even high places they haven’t gone yet as well. Having your own festival is something very few have done especially in this scene we are around the most. We bring you two bands who are doing the same thing on different levels and that in itself is impressive. A Day To Remember have come back this year with their Self-Help fest and North Carolina regional act Something Clever is bringing in everything nerd to mix with everything metal at Clever Con.
Self-Help Fest
Self Help’s idea comes from a conversation A Day To Remember frontman Jeremy Mckinnon had with his then girlfriend about their shows. She described to him that the shows the band did were something bigger than just another concert to them. With that came the title in which he said “we titled our festival Self Help, because at the end of the day, that’s what music’s all about.”
The fest only began in 2014 but has seemed like it has been a staple for a long time now. The first one was hosted in San Bernardino, CA and saw the likes of Bring Me The Horizon among other bands including A Day To Remember headlining. The next year though A Day To Remember did not play the fest, making this the only one they did not perform.
This year in 2017 is the first time the festival is in four different cities. These cities are Philadelphia, PA, Detroit, MI, Orlando, FL, and where it all began in San Bernadino, CA. A Day To Remember along with Underoath are the marquee acts for most of these dates and it will be good seeing them on the same stage in their home state of Florida.
Clever Con
Something Clever is doing for the second time as a unsigned band what other bands probably could not do. Have their own festival. Started in 2015, it was almost a reach at one point for this to have happened again. Guitarist Kelly Flusk says: “We have been trying to get the second Clever Con going for what feels like forever and I’m so happy that all the pieces fit together exactly how we imagined.” This festival is different though as it is not just about music, but rather blending their love for hard hitting tunes with geeking out over Marvel vs DC to bring a festival with all of that included.
October 8th one of the best known venue brands in the Fillmore will host the second event with a headlining performance from Atlanta’s Separations who played on the Vans Warped Tour this year. Along with support from these two bands, Violent Life Violent, Reason Define, and Falling Through April will round out the lineup. For those extreme nerds there will be a cosplay contest to highlight the best costumes of the night on top of other venders and artists.
