What happens when a bunch of good-hearted punk rock kids come together to organize
a music and wrestling festival that not only provides a positive and enjoyable
environment to the Mt. Pleasant community, but also raises money for the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society?
Well, of course, the cops come, shut it down and hoist up a huge and ugly black
cloud over what was shaping up to be quite a great day at Chip-A-Waters park.
Even though The Overtime Fest II and their promoters were stopped dead in their
good-natured tracks by the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, the concert succeeded
in showing the kids how to rock out for a good cause.
The fest, which was to feature performances by King, the Soccer Moms, Today I
Wait, Granny Smith, Juneau, and 8 Ball Grifter, as well as wrestling by touring
league Powerhouse Championship Wrestling, was organized by Rob Forest and Dan
Nixon, heads of local record label Proletariat Records.
“I think it’s about time for the Mt. Pleasant youth to rally for a different
kind of enjoyment,” said Caine Kissel, Manistee senior and emcee for the
wrestling portion of the event.
As the sounds of Van Halen’s “Jump!” filled the air, an element
of excitement filled the air, especially when Jumpin’ Jimmy Jacobs took on
Frankie the Face in the first of 4 matches by the PCW wrestlers.
Seconds after the match finished, with Frankie the Face coming out on top, local
rock-billy-band King, featuring legendary guitarist Johnny Spade, took the stage.
They entertained the audience with numerous original songs, as well as a cover
of Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock.” Black shirts
and dark blue jeans were represented.
The next match to take place pitted the goofy Jimmy “Human Hype” Shalwin
against the aerodynamic skills of “Freaknasty” Michael Stryker. This
match saw the first blood loss of the day, as Stryker’s lip was covered in
a crimson red. This seemed to fuel Stryker’s furry, as he pinned Shalwin
with the 1-2-3.
“This is not a brawl. A wrestling match is a beautiful dance,” Stryker
said during a post-match interview.
With spirits high, and the fest living up to its promise of providing a positive
and fun environment, the Mt. Pleasant Police force made their presence know, telling
the Overtime crew to turn the stage around.
This small invasion did not weigh heavy on the mood of the day though, as the
Soccer Moms did their best to put a smile on the face of everyone in attendance.
“By the time we’re done, the kids in Mt. Pleasant are gonna’ be screaming
‘Yes yes yes it rocked! No no no, don’t stop the rock!’,”
predicted Soccer Mom Fabrizio Costantini, Fraser senior.
The Soccer Moms got the crowd jumping with their unique blend of blues and rock
n’ roll, entrancing the crowd not only with their nice haircuts, but with
pure rock prowess (along with the assistance of some plastic hot dogs and their
trusty toaster).
“The event was extremely rich in variety and experience. It was totally foreign
to Mt. Pleasant. The event was exposing fun mixed with awe. It was awesome,”
said Costantini.
The wrestlers were not to be outdone, however, and came back to the ring with
a vengeance, with Magnum Conroy taking on Destruction.
“I think this is a really great opportunity for people to come out and see
some wrestling, not just the stuff on TV,” said Kissel.
The match ended, but the beat-down had just begun, courtesy of metal-math rockers
Today I Wait. The band brought down the house (er, grassy knoll) with their dosage
of Botch-like complexity and heavy riffage, along with an energetic stage presence
that translated well into the crowd. The band double bassed, screamed, and just
flat out rocked through 7 or 8 songs, just before the police arrived and shut
the show down.
The last match, which featured Loverboy Steve (covered in a slightly distasteful
red heart outfit) and hometown boy Asten “Top Dog” Williams, was allowed
to finish, as the police looked on to make sure there would be no anarchy (and
of course there wasn’t).
The police changed the agenda of the show, but the rock did not stop there. Although
Granny Smith and 8 Ball Grifter did not get to play, local emo-hearthrobs Juneau
headed over to the most punk rock of places, the basement of guitarist/vocalist
Mike Gallacher, and kicked out the jams for some of the Overtime Fest concert-goers.
Juneau melded melody and aggression perfectly, wearing their hearts on their sleeves,
still rocking it out for a good cause.
The Overtime Festival II, even with all the disappointment surrounding the event,
still succeeded in bringing a diverse lineup of bands, a highly entertaining wrestling
organization, and a nice sum of money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,
and really did no wrong.
Forest, Nixon, the rest of the people who helped organize the Overtime Festival
II, the bands, and the wrestlers should be proud of themselves for putting together
something this great and important.

E-mail the author: Ryan Allen and Chris HatfieldLIFE Et cetera Writers