Galax Z Fair III

Local music festival celebrates third year

Note: This article originally appeared in the March 20, 2014 issue of The Pan American. The Pan American was the student newspaper at my former university, The University of Texas - Pan American, where I got into writing. Ultimately, TPA was shut down as a result of a merger with neighboring university to make way for The University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley and the new student publication did not transfer anything from TPA. Here's one of my articles for them that was saved thanks to the miracle of Google Docs.

Austin has South by Southwest (SXSW), South Padre Island has the Ultimate Music Experience, and McAllen has Galax Z Fair.

The music festival was held for the third year, on non-consecutive days in McAllen March 10 and 13. The first day, which ran from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., saw 23 bands, including local band Zorah and N.Y.-based indie band Miniature Tigers, play across four different venues on 17th Street. These locations included Cine El Rey, Bruja Luna, The Flying Walrus and Suerte Bar & Grill. Suerte included an “artist corner” where local artists, such as Travis Trapp and Gwyn F. Della Croce, showcased their artwork throughout the day.

The second day had Cine El Rey as the sole venue, hosting Michigan-based rock group Cheap Girls, New York-based singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson, and Floridian punk rock band Against Me!

Nearly 1,000 tickets were sold for the latest Galax Z Fair, according to founder Patrick Garcia. Public relations major June Cavazos was among the attendees, making for the Mission native’s first music festival.

“When I heard that Tops and Miniature Tigers were playing, I just had to go,” the 19-year-old said. “Their music gives off a sense of empowerment that makes your emotions go away, and makes you want to dance. It’s also great that the festival is local, so I’m running into a lot of friends and people I haven’t seen in a long time. It feels like a family.”

The sense of camaraderie was also shared by local band Pinky Swear, which is composed of four UTPA students. Lead singer Sarah Walker described the experience of performing at Galax Z Fair as “nerve-wracking.”

“Galax Z Fair is more intimate,” the TV/film major said. “You can see a lot of friends supporting you and it feels comforting. I’d imagine that South By Southwest would provide a sense of detachment since you’re playing at a new place, but the experience would be worth it.”

Galax Z Fair founder Garcia said the decision to spread out so many bands across multiple venues was made to create a more “engaging” experience for attendees by having them visit different locations and decide which bands to stay and watch.

Noise-punk band Perfect Pussy also performed on the first day of the festival. Meredith Graves, the lead singer of the Syracuse-based group, compared the music scene of the Rio Grande Valley to that of New York.

“I love it. Galax Z Fair captures the true spirit of a community that’s built by the hands of the people who support each other,” the 26-year-old said. “New York also has a do-it-yourself mindset when it comes to independent artists, but it’s vicious. It’s every man for himself and no one supports each other, it’s so different here though. You can tell that everyone loves each other and are fans of each other.”

According to Garcia, a UTPA alum, many of the visiting bands were contacted by mass email to artists scheduled to perform at the SXSW Music Festival; they were asked if they’d be interested in participating in Galax Z Fair.

“These are all bands I like and I would definitely go watch if they were visiting,” the 28-year-old Brownsville native said. “This is about establishing a culture where people with an alienated taste in music can get together and get excited about music.”