All-original bands to perform during two-day 239 Fest downtown Cape Coral Friday and Saturday
Perfectly coinciding with Cape Coral Bike Night, the third annual 239 Punk Ska Reggae Fest will hit the streets of downtown Cape Coral for two days of non-stop original music this weekend, Friday and Saturday, at Rack ‘Em Billiards, 1011 SE 47th Terrace.
Featuring anything from ska, punk, reggae and rockabilly, the 239 Fest will be the place to be for all-original music from bands touring across the country.
“Lots of these groups are state-wide and national bands, recently finishing up tour from across the country, and going to be on our stage during the two-day show,” said Andrew Gray, owner of Rack ‘Em Billiards.
“Being the ‘original’ music venue, the 239 Fest was something I wanted to try with some of the bands. It really took off, grew and grew, and now we’re up to 25 bands playing over two days. It’s going to be the best one so far!”
Starting at 6 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday, catch all of these amazing groups from two stages at Rack ‘Em: one inside, one out – and no cover.
“Jet Sound is providing the sound from the two stages. It’s going to be a great show,” Andrew said.
“This is probably one of the coolest events of the year,” said Jeremy Post, bassist of the local punk rock group Code Zero, performing Friday night during the two-day show. “If you’re into punk, ska or reggae even a little bit you’re sure to have a great time. And from what I hear, this year is looking to be the biggest yet: two days with over 25 bands!”
Friday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m.:
* Fly South
* Blood Wise
* The Tom McGees (Charleston, WV)
* 69 Fingers (Orlando)
* Third Society (Venice)
* Paper Dolls (Gainesville)
* High Five Go (Tampa)
* Here’s to Nathan (Ft. Lauderdale)
* Code Zero
* Broseph Skalin (Tampa)
* Zero to the Left (Ft. Lauderdale)
* Mind You (Miami)
* Head Held High
Saturday, Oct. 12, at 5 p.m.:
* Simple Jack
* Won’t Be Arsed (St. Pete)
* Snapm (Sarasota)
* Electric Landlady (formerly The Stereotypes) (St. Pete)
* The High Chiefs (Naples)
* The Hoverounds (Deland)
* Jay Tea of A.S.O.B. (New York)
* UNRB (St. Pete)
* Victims of Circumstance (St. Pete)
* After The Fact
* The Duppies (Gainesville)
* YugoSkavia (Orlando)
* Stop The Presses (Miami)
* Undead Idols
“I realize how much passion these musicians have with their original music; the time and determination they put into it. I really respect that, and I get it. Rack ‘Em has been open for 16 years, and word just traveled, and spread, and we have been offering original bands every weekend for years now – never a cover charge. We want our customers to get their money’s worth and come in with no pressure.”
“We love our local original music scene,” Post said. “Having been a part of it for almost 10 years, and seeing the changes it has gone through, and the strenth it has gained over the last few years, it has been a great experience. It’s great to see the recognition original bands in this area are finally getting. The fans are the drive as to why we do this. Without them, there are no great shows.”
The two-day event is sponsored by Budweiser, Coca Cola, 96.1 K-ROCK, Jet Sound, Ska Spot, Edison Custom Tags And Tees, JJ Taylor, Circus Arts and others.
Rack ‘Em is a full-service bar, offering beer, wine and liquor, as well as a great spot to get in a few games of pool.
“It’s been a great time over the past few years. With so many great, original groups and no cover charge, people can really come by and get a feel for something new and original,” Gray said.
Post concluded, “Be sure to come out to the 239 FEST Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12. There will be lots neat surprises and a few from us Code Zero! As local, original-music musicians, we want to be sure to take a second to mention how awesome Andy (Andrew Gray) is and Rack ‘Em for hosting this, and all of the amazing bands who are taking the time out of their lives to perform for the fans and, of course the fans without whom we would just be puppets playing to an empty room.”
For more information on the upcoming 239 Fest, or to RSVP, visit Facebook and search for “239 Punk/Ska/Reggae Fest.”
About Code Zero
Code Zero is a local punk band formed in early 2004, spending a good five years touring and building a following before taking a break. Now that the members have reunited, with Eric “Big E” DeMayo on guitar/vocals, Jeremy Post on bass/screaming and yelling, Doug Reash on drums and Tim Tim as a guest guitarist, the band plays lots of special events and shows.
As for exactly what type of music they perform, “that is a difficult question to pin down,” Post said. “We are categorized as punk rock. We play rock music with a punk persuasion. Our influences range from classic rock, alternative, grunge, punk and metal. Different people hear different things in our music, so our suggestion would be to come out to 239 Fest and check it out for yourself. Then you can tell us and we can better answer this question if it comes up again. :)”
What really sets the band apart from other original punk-rockers is,
“We are a type of high-energy punk band that isn’t common in the area. We also get pretty rowdy during shows,” Post said. “The only way it can be explained is to see it.”
From time to time, you’ll catch a cover here or there, but primarily, Code Zero rocks originals.
“We are all strong supporters of local original music,” he said. “We have a few covers we play for fun, but we always do them in our own style. Cover bands and original music bands are in two totally different music circles. We all love our local original music scene. Having been part of it for almost 10 years, and seeing the changes it has gone through and the strength it has gained over the last few years, has been a great experience. It’s great to see the recognition original bands in this area are finally getting. The fans are the drive as to why we do this.”
In the past, the band has played frequent gigs at local beach establishments like Casey’s Alley on Fort myers Beach.
“Sadly it’s no longer open, but we’re looking for new places to play out there,” Post said.
For more info on Code Zero, visit their “own little corner of Facebook” by searching for “CodeZeroMusic.” And, be sure to check out the CD online on at Amazon and Pandora.