By July 5 marked the 5th Annual BeebsFest, a Louisville-area indie rock tradition.
BeebsFest is basically a huge party with live music. BeebsFest began five years ago when a friend of Alex Beeler, now 20, suggested that Beeler host an outdoor concert under a shelter his dad built next to his parents’ house in Clarksville, Ind., and invite some friends from Louisville to play.
And in just five years, BeebsFest — a shout out to Alex's nickname — has grown progressively bigger. All by word of mouth.
There were no fewer than 100 people in attendance. Alcohol was flowing freely and the music was great. Bands were scheduled to play from noon to midnight. There was a pavilion with two playing areas set up, and bands would alternate between stages. As stage one broke down and the next act set up, stage two would play.The first act of the day was Big Tobacco (left). Big Tobacco consists of two members, Eli and his best friend Clay. They play a very bluesy folk rock sound. They got under way around 12:30 p.m. on stage one. By that point, Eli was already visibly intoxicated. Big Tobacco set the tone for the rest of the day.
The next act was Rooftop Rhapsody (right) on stage two, followed on stage one by Russell Allen. Rooftop Rhapsody have a sort of pop/rock sound. The ladies loved their short set. Allen, a solo performer, played a mellow set.After Allen, Iron Wolves (check out their first t-shirt design, below!) descended upon stage two. Iron Wolves is a metal band all the way. Their fast and furious music fired everyone up again.
Around this time, things started getting a little crazy. People were pretty drunk and fireworks were dirt cheap since it was the day after Independence Day. This couldn’t lead to anything but good times, right? Well, if you consider people shooting explosives at each other good times then yes, excellent times were had. Also there were water balloons.Immediately following Iron Wolves’ set was the band RainBoots (below, right). They’re a screamo (screaming emo, think Hawthorne Heights) band. Their set only fueled the fire that Iron Wolves had stirred up.
At this point, a noise complaint seemed inevitable.Next up was Sophomore Lounge band Giving Up. They played a solid set as only a Sophomore Lounge band can.
The next performance offered a stark contrast with the insanity going on around the performance pavilion. The Treez took the stage and offered a mellow sound to soothe the wild, inebriated beasts around them. The Treez play an acoustic/folk/reggae blend that not everyone can pull off. Fortunately, they do pull it off.
After The Treez came State Champion (below left), another Sophomore Lounge staple. Ryan Davis and his band-mates played a wildly energetic set, with Davis climbing on his amp several times and, for their last song, losing his shirt and donning a cape.
The next band was cut short. Twice. They were Lewd Acts, a heavy metal band. The police arrived in the middle of the band's second song.As it turns out, a ton of loud music and explosives is… well, loud. The Beeler's neighbors called in a noise complaint. This is understandable I suppose. A bit more puzzling perhaps was the police response. There were at least three state troopers, two Clarksville city police and a Clark County sheriff’s deputy, all to deal with a single noise complaint.
Upon the arrival of the police, scores of intoxicated minors scurried away toward their cars. Remember that scene in Titanic, when the boat starts to sink and there is a shot of just a ton of rats trying to outrun the water? It was like that, but way drunker.
A state trooper approached the pavilion and managed to catch the attention of Lewd Acts, who were still going strong, quite unaware of the police’s arrival.
The trooper said something to the lead singer and there was an uncomfortable pause before the singer said into the microphone, “Um…where’s the landowner?”
Lawrence Beeler, Alex’s dad, showed up and started talking to the police. The six officers ringed up around Beeler. They informed him of the noise complaint and mentioned seeing several drunk minors.
After 20 minutes of discussion the police left, allegedly promising to return in an hour and a half to administer a breathalyzer test to everyone in attendance and to arrest anyone who was legally intoxicated. Beeler told the gathered crowd that the police had informed him that if a single minor were arrested then he would also be arrested.
Lewd Acts attempted to play again after the police left, but this time Beeler cut them off himself. He told them that they were still being too loud. So, Lewd Acts broke down their gear and packed up.
Nobody was allowed to play for the entire hour and a half before the police returned with the breathalyzer test, which resulted in 13 citations and three arrests — none of those arrests, though, involved the Beelers.
"I had to talk to the cops with my family for about two hours, and they finally left," Alex says. "Nothing major happened after that."
Of the 22 bands on the bill, only eight got to perform. One band member was heard exclaiming, “I’ve already been to an Indiana jail, man!”
Thus ended BeebsFest, a five-year indie rock tradition. Beeler says one of his friends may carry on the torch next year.
