Hello Rockstars!
Today I wanted to highlight an amazing festival here in Las Vegas that is run by locals and showcases the crazy talented Vegas artists we have in the community.
It’s called “Life is Shit Festival” and I had the honor of being able to interview it’s Founder Jack Evan Johnson! In this article we talk about it’s origins, what to expect at the festival’s 12th season, and how you can donate to Girls Rock Vegas, which is a non-profit that helps empowers girls through the power of music!
VMS:
“Tell me about the beginnings of Life is Shit Festival. I know you all have been doing this since 2013 and every year it gets better and better. What gave you the inspiration to start this festival, and who are the amazing people behind the scenes who put this all together.”
Life is Shit Festival:
“When Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and his Downtown Project development group moved into downtown Las Vegas in 2012, many of the local artists and musicians felt displaced. DTP, with limitless resources from Hsieh’s private fortune, began buying up downtown property in an effort to turn working-class downtown Las Vegas into Hsieh’s vision of a tech bro utopia, without much input from community stakeholders already living and making art there.
They just saw it as a run-down part of a culture-free city they could do whatever they wanted with. When Downtown Project started hiring people from outside Las Vegas to make decisions in the music scene (which we had been building up for years), and Downtown Project’s massive, corporate music festival Life is Beautiful was announced, a small group of us locals decided that we needed our own festival.
That’s how Life is Shit was born. The Dive Bar, my favorite independent venue in Las Vegas, didn’t hesitate to give us a home for the festival, and it has taken place there every year since we started in 2013, with the exception of 2020, when we hosted a 24-hour telethon, and 2021, when we made a Life is Shit TV special (thanks to Covid).”
VMS:
“I love that you fund raise money for Girls Rock Vegas, which is an amazing Camp for underprivileged girls to learn how to play rock music. I think it’s a wonderful program and it helps nurture our next generation of performers. How did you guys start this collaboration with them.”
Life is Shit Festival:
“I can’t recall how it all started, but Life is Shit is about community. Also, GRV executive director Heather Rampton has been involved in the Las Vegas music scene for a long time, and there’s nothing cooler than young people who rock. It seemed like an obvious choice to support them back then, and nothing has changed. This year we’ll even have a band of GRV campers performing.”
To Donate to Girls Rock Vegas, please visit their website!
VMS:
“Tell me a little bit about what we can expect this year at Life is Shit Festival.“
Life is Shit Festival:
“Friday, Sept. 27 we are mixing it up and having the very first Life is Shit Shitkicker Kickoff pre-party at The Dive, featuring three awesome country bands (country and punk rock have a lot in common). After the bands, we will close the night out with country karaoke, or “CarlOke,” hosted by Las Vegas legend Hot Carl (many know him from his weekly karaoke night at Starboard Tack).
Saturday, Sept. 28 there will be 14 punk/rock/electronic bands playing on the inside stage, beginning at 4:20 p.m. and going till after 2 a.m. Most of the bands are local, but we bring in a few out of town bands to keep things interesting. This year we have bands from Nashville, Denver, Reno, and “CyBerlin”. A few years ago, we added poetry to Life is Shit, so, in between bands, local poets will be reading on the “Outhouse Poetry Stage” in the parking lot. The poetry lineup is curated this year by poet Andrew Romanelli, who will also be the host of the poetry festivities.
A huge part of Life is Shit every year is the raffle benefiting Girls Rock Vegas. The prizes are different every year, but past prizes have included tattoos, guitars, and even a toilet! It just depends on what is donated to the raffle. (If any local businesses or artists have anything cool to donate to the raffle, they can reach out to us). There are usually a lot of raffle prizes, so it takes all night, with us hopping on stage in between bands, to raffle everything off. It makes for a night of non-stop action, whether you are inside or outside.”
To Donate to Girls Rock Vegas, please visit their website!
VMS:
“I know it’s incredibly hard to put on such a huge festival in a place like Las Vegas, but you guys are doing an amazing job! How has the local scene been responding to this festival, and what do you think needs to be improved on this city for our local artists in general.”
Life is Shit Festival:
“Thank you! We’re still a small festival, but ever since we first announced Life is Shit Festival, back in 2013, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Like I mentioned earlier, our city was being taken over by wealthy outsiders, and everyone rallied together to support the local scene.
The problem when it comes to the arts is always money. There’s a lot of money in Las Vegas, but it never seems to make its way to the artists. There was a brief period when the Cosmopolitan was booking local original bands — not cover bands — and paying them very well. Casinos have all the money in the world, why not give some back? “
VMS:
“What are your plans for the future of Life is Shit Festival on a whole.”
Life is Shit Festival:
“For Life is Shit, we’re going to keep it going as long as the community asks for it. Tony Hsieh has died and Life is Beautiful has been cancelled, so I think we were on the right side of history with our original messaging, but Life is Shit has always been more pro-community than anti-capitalism… well, it’s both actually. Eat the rich!”
VMS:
“I know you have stiff competition in this city when it comes to festivals, what separates yours from the other ones.”
Life is Shit Festival:
“We don’t see ourselves in competition with any other festivals, since we’re just a group of old friends throwing a party. We’re, like, in the back of the room, laughing at all the other festivals.”
VMS:
“What do you want the audience to experience and feel at Life is Shit Festival.“
Life is Shit Festival:
“I want them to feel safe and seen, and I don’t want them to spend too much money, because nobody has it right now. If they discover their new favorite band or fall in love at Life is Shit, then that’s pretty cool too. I hope they win the toilet!”
For More Information about Life is Shit Festival, please visit them on their Instagram!
To Donate to Girls Rock Vegas, please visit their website!
——–Vegas Music Scene. xoxox