The OC Brew Ha Ha/OC Brew Ska Ska festival returned for its 11th year this past Saturday, with more than 100 craft beers, food trucks, and performances by: Less Than Jake, Hepcat, The Aggrolites, Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Bite Me Bambi, and Half Past Two. Unlimited craft beer tastings were available from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. VIP tickets included entry to the festival at 12:00 p.m., specialty beers, and access to VIP area/stage viewing section.
With more than 100 craft beers available, there was sure to be something for everyone to enjoy. The breweries were pouring everything from hard seltzers to stouts. Some of the breweries who were pouring at the event included: Green Cheek, Left Coast, Dog Pawrk, 1886, and Modern Times. The event also featured beers from event sponsor Rad Beer which was founded by Brew Ha Ha Productions founder Cameron Collins (aka Cranky Cameron), Dylan Mobley (Helmsman Ale House), Joe Wilshire (Docent Brewing), and Steve Martin (Project Social).
Bite Me Bambi followed Half Past Two, and performed “Like That”, “Hot Lava” and a cover of The Offspring’s “Want You Bad”. The band features members of Save Ferris, My Superhero, Karate in the Garage, Starpool, and Suburban Legends. Bite Me Bambi has a few tour dates scheduled this November in the Midwest, and you can also catch them on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/bitemebambi.
Next up were ska legends The Toasters and then Mustard Plug. Despite performing in the middle of the unlimited craft beer tasting window, both bands attracted a good-sized, enthusiastic, crowd. Mustard Plug vocalist Dave Kirchgessner applauded the crowd for skanking in the sun, before stating: “You got to find joy where you can find it. The last 18 months are proof that life is too short.” While true, this was also a convenient transition to their next song – “Life is Too Short”.
The first band to perform after the unlimited craft beer tastings had ended was The Aggrolites, a reggae band from Los Angeles. Their set included “Free Time”, “Pound for Pound”, and “Countryman Fiddle”. The band also performed their cover of “It Must Be True Love”, originally by Toots and the Maytals, which they dedicated to Toots Hibbert, who passed away last September.
The mellow vibe continued when Hepcat took the stage and performed songs like “Come Out”, “Dance Wit Me”, and “Policewoman”. Watching vocalists Greg Lee and Alex Désert dance in sync is almost hypnotizing at times; and when Hepcat performs everyone is encouraged to dance, rather than skanking or moshing. Lee shared: “What we love and what we try to achieve is to have music where you can dance together.”
The event concluded with a performance by Less Than Jake, which featured a number of fan favorites. Near the beginning of their set, vocalist Chris DeMakes jokingly said: “We won’t bore you with too many new songs, the old songs are just better.” Some highlights included “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts”, “The Science of Selling Yourself Short”, and “History of a Boring Town”, which DeMakes dedicated to the city of Corona, CA. Less Than Jake is currently on tour with New Found Glory for the “Pop Punk’s Still Not Dead Tour” and released their latest album, “Silver Linings”, in December of last year.
This year’s OC Brew Ha Ha/OC Brew Ska Ska festival was notably smaller than the one in 2019, but that’s completely understandable given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was very well-organized, included lots of shaded areas, and the festival organizers did a great job of encouraging people to act responsibly.
Next up for Brew Ha Ha Productions is Boo Ha Ha – A Haunted Oktoberfest on October 29th and 30th at the OC Fair & Event Center. This event will have a strong focus on Oktoberfest and German style lagers, but will also have all the west coast favorites too. The event is set to feature performances by LIT, Mest and Handsome Devil on October 29th, and A Flock of Seagulls and The M80’s on October 30th. Visit www.theboohaha.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
Volted magazine 