Arts Alive San Antonio

By NICOLAS SABALA, Contributor

Friends of Sound is normally a low-key store with an impeccable selection of 45s but last Saturday it was transformed into a live music venue that was bustling with musicians, record label staff and event volunteers. As the event began there was a surge of sights, sounds and motion. Guitars, drums and amplifiers were stacked hastily next to crates of dusty old vinyl records while musicians and DJs shuffled past each other and spectators lined up for tattoos in the back of the shop.

They were all there to take part in Burger Revolution 8, a community-based independent music showcase, hosted by San Antonio-based Friends of Sound and record label Deadweight Tapes. The event featured 11 multi-genre bands from not only San Antonio but Austin and Houston as well. The local event was a part of the larger Burger Revolution 8, the eight annual music festival sponsored by the Los Angeles independent record label Burger Records. Venues in 30 cities worldwide participated, including two in Texas – in San Antonio and El Paso.

“I appreciate the DIY aspect of Burger Revolution,” said Rob Larson, the drummer for the San Antonio punk rock band Lloronas. “These kinds of events require a lot of participation and that is obviously happening here.”

San Antonio musician and promoter, Tony Gnosis, is one of the many people who made the local event possible. “There aren’t many people who have opportunities to come to a DIY event that has an affiliation with such a large independent label as Burger Records.” said Gnosis. “I wanted to prove to myself that San Antonio can be a viable place for music in the future if people start working together.” Gnosis also founded Deadweight Tapes in 2011, an independent non-profit cassette label based in San Antonio, in addition to being the lead singer and guitarist for the punk act Whatever, which took part in the festivities.

Overall, this year’s lineup was comprised of various bands ranging from punk, blues, psych to indie rock and Ska. “The lineup that Tony procures is all hand selected,” said George Mendoza, owner of the record store. “Well, I put it out there and I listen to all of the bands’ music. I get very into it, I don’t skim through the music. I digest it and I see what your message is, your sound and how seriously you take yourself. It’s kind of an application and I don’t charge anyone to play,” he explained referring to his process of band booking.”

A majority of the Burger Revolution 8 lineup consisted of San Antonio bands such as Lloronas, Midnight Cleaners, Sündias and The Wizard. Austin’s indie rockers, Rad Gnar, and Houston’s Punks The Cops and Killer Hearts closed out the day’s event with incendiary sets.

San Antonio’s Burger Revolution 8 was a DIY collaborative that also featured tattoo artists, clothing designers, vintage clothing vendors, DJs and a pop-up food truck.  Music showcases like these provide an outlet and space for local bands to gather with the community of music lovers for one simple purpose – to enjoy and discover new music.

 “Do you like music? Do you like records? Because we have all of it happening under one roof all day long.” said Gnosis before the first bands took the stage.