Music: What Lies Beneath

“Let’s up the punk,” Kaleb Keefer says.

Keefer and a few of his buddies share a dream. They’ve played in bands and have seen the local Punk scene, so they know it’s fairly segregated. Punkers can’t mosh up against a kid who wants to thrash and a Pop Punk Emo kid isn’t having it at a Metal concert. But in other cities where Keefer has played and visited, bands from very different genres come together.

Now it’s time for the Nasty ‘Nati to upend the usual musical stereotypes and come together in one single moshpit. This weekend three different basements in the Clifton area will host an integrated concert series where punkers and metalheads can hold hands and thrash.

“Some people are narrow-minded,” Keefer says between sips of coffee at Baba Budan’s in Clifton. “They don’t think it’s cool to play Thrash with Thrash bands and Punk with Punk bands. We wanted to do it crazy.”

Keefer wanted to organize a concert featuring unique bands with different styles in Cincinnati, but he didn’t want to do it at a typical venue. He’s played basements before, and they offer a sort of ambiance that a larger venue can’t. So Keefer contacted some friends, pulled some strings, started to create a lineup and the fest was born.

The festival has a few missions. Not only does Keefer want to bring unity between punks, Emo kids and metalheads, he also wants to put his band, Inside Recess, back together. The band previously played for two years and Keefer rocked out the vocals.

The festival will also help promote local bands and allow Punk rockers and Indie acts to make more money. Without having to pay venue fees and deal with larger venues, according to Keefer, the band members can focus on selling more merchandise.

“I’m kind of a control freak when it comes to shows because I want the touring bands to make money,” Keefer says. “If you throw a good basement show for a touring band that not everyone knows, then they are going to make more money and everyone is going to have more fun.”

His buddies, who play in numerous local bands, supported the idea of the festival. They also want to bring the scene together, help out local bands and offer a variety of music to keep everybody happy. Keefer got together with Inside Recess lead guitarist Justin Marra and Two Inch Winky singer Tom Caruso to create a name for their unborn child. They broke out the Miller High Life and thought hard. After passing names back and forth for a while, Caruso spoke up and said something that caught everyone off guard: “I have this name I’ve been saving.”

Hands Across Basements Fest was born.

“Me and Jon (Weiner, Dopamines bassist) wanted to book bands that we know or found influential,” Keefer says. “So we started e-mailing bands that we knew.”

Acts performing include Chicago all-female band Condenada, Columbus Pop Punk outfit Delay and Victims, a thrashy, old-school Punk band from Sweden. In addition, Keefer and Marra say the local bands involved with the fest are some of the best in the city and will help keep the lineup diverse.

“There’s all different music from all different kinds of people,” Marra says.

The organizers are expecting a fairly good turnout, roughly 60 to 100 people each night. “The biggest basement show I’ve played at is 200 to 300 people,” Keefer says.

The boys are hoping the three shows won’t get to that magnitude, but with all the people thrashing about and having a good time, Keefer can’t wait for the intimate concert setting. Marra expects most of the concertgoers to watch one or two bands play and then chill outside.

“If the concert gets big, they can stand outside or crowd-surf and hold on,” Keefer says.

The shows take place at three different basements in the Clifton area. Each starts at 8 p.m. On Thursday, you can Thrash to Inside Recess and Delay at the Glendora House at 3244 Glendora Ave. The Warner House, which is at 2389 Flora St., will host Condenada among its six bands Friday. Two Inch Winky and Lost Hands Found Fingers will be among five more Saturday at 2631 University Court. There is a $6 suggested donation to attend each show.

“The point of the whole thing was to try and unite the scene in a way that was a positive thing for the future,” Keefer says.

While bands playing basements across the country isn’t a new concept (Green Day to Rise Against have done it), the idea of renovating an old dingy basement into a venue is coming back strong. The musicians can focus on their tunes and allow their fans to enjoy the concert up close and personal. Other Clifton venues (Baba Budan’s, Tazza, etc.) are popping up, allowing for the Punk and Ska scene to go above ground.

Throwing a fest such as Hands Across Basements is about dedication to music, and Marra and Keefer — in true Punk fashion — strongly urge anyone to do it.

“If you think it’s sweet, do it yourself,” Marra says.

This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2008.