The Junction Rift Festival took place in the deserts of southern Oregon on June 25-26. On a dirt road past a nowhere town, 100 miles from any gas station, where the only forms of life were plagues of hostile gnats, a whole bunch of weirdos set up camp and took turns rocking out for each other.
This punk-rock Woodstock of the Northwest bloc coincided with the Boise Music Festival and was the total opposite in terms of cleanliness, safety, and fun- just the way we like it. We all narrowly avoided booze-induced heatstroke and we’ll be scratching our goddamn bug bites well into September; but at least there was a handwashing station by the stage. And just like Woodstock, a drug sting could have funded the county police department for the next five years.
Some bands got drunk and barely played twenty minutes, while some of them were able to put on surprisingly professional sets. This was particularly true of the headlining acts on both nights, who apparently forgot to party all day. They actually set up their gear and tuned their guitars ahead of time, so that the rest of us degenerates could lay in the dirt and watch the stars while they played.
The Junction Rift Festival was rock ‘n roll at its finest. Loud music with no rules; free from the hospital sterility and procedure of venue shows back in town. It reflected the spirit of rock ‘n roll from the 70s and 80s and carried a sense of adventure that seems to have been lost since then. If that adventure is something you’ve been craving, or even if you just like to camp and listen to music- then we’ll see you next year at JRF II.
Spud media 