Ep539: Dr Strange Records' Summer Bash Festival

Dr. Strange Records' Bill Plaster talks Summer Bash and the chaos of booking a festival, punk history, record collecting, Live Strange, and how punk rock can genuinely change lives.

Get Summer Bash tix here | Follow Dr Strange for Live Strange here

Topics Include:

• Bill Plaster of Dr. Strange Records joins to discuss the upcoming Summer Bash.
• Punk Rock Bowling's cancellation — visa bans, politics, venue loss — created the opportunity.
• Bill connected with Gallo, who runs the Fox Theater and the Cathedral in Pomona.
• The Cathedral: a stunning, refurbished 1921 four-story YMCA venue hosting the event.
• A massive two-day lineup — 30-plus bands across punk, hardcore, and old-school SoCal.
• Notable acts include the Effigies, Channel 3, the Skulls, featuring Kevin from Green Day.
• Every band asked said yes — Bill takes no money, purely doing it for the community.
• Dealing with booking agents was the biggest headache of organising the festival.
• Planning started in November; Bill hopes Summer Bash becomes an annual event.
• The Punk in the Park cancellations discussed — Bill argues protest with your vote, not boycotts.
• Bill credits Rod for building Dr. Strange's social media profile and making the festival possible.
• Bill's mentorship philosophy: punk rock can genuinely change lives for the better.
• The Dr. Strange "family" ethos — making fun of people with love, never punching down.
• Bill's book discussed — early punk discoveries via Damned, Buzzcocks, and XTC seven-inches.
• The brutal gang violence at early 80s LA/SoCal punk shows — constantly watching your back.
• A close call at Spanky's: the guy next to Bill got stabbed during a Guttermouth gig.
• Biggest missed show regret: skipped Oingo Boingo due to peer pressure from girls in line.
• Never saw Black Flag — their reputation for brutality genuinely scared him off.
• Eight years of mail order before opening the store; Voodoo Glow Skulls his biggest-selling record.
• Live Strange runs Wednesdays and Fridays — the cowbell is Bill's money-back guarantee.

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