Blackoutfest, The Union Bar and Grill’s annual music event kicks off at 6 p.m. and continues through Friday and Saturday nights, bringing three full nights of music to Athens.
“It’s a fantastic event and something that all the musicians in town and music fans in town look forward to all year,” said Sean Phillip, lead singer of Zapaño.
Zapaño will be the first band to perform at Blackoutfest this year, filling the 6 p.m. slot tonight. Phillip said he hopes people will not hesitate to show up early so they have the chance to see Zapaño perform at Blackoutfest for the first time.
“It’s our first time playing Blackoutfest and I’m looking forward to feeling a part of this, feeling a part of the local music community and feeling a part of Blackout Booking,” Phillip said.
Blackout Booking, headed by Scott Winland, was responsible for booking the more than 25 bands performing this year. Several other bands that share Zapaño’s local roots will be featured along with nationally touring bands.
“I think he does a great job of having a pretty healthy combination of local and touring bands,” said Zach Fuller, guitarist for Weird Science. “I think the local acts definitely make the event because they’re mainly responsible for the draw, whereas some of the touring bands people may or may not have heard of before.”
Fuller jumped at the chance to take the stage at Blackoutfest again, which he said has become a springtime staple for music lovers in Athens.
“This band I’m in now has never played Blackoutfest before, and I’ve been affiliated with it several different times with my old bands,” Fuller said. “I used to work at The Union, so I just feel a strong connection to it.”
While some local bands choose to play at Blackoutfest based on their personal connections to the show, others want to become a part of the local tradition.
“We really like to be a part of Blackoutfest. It’s such a long tradition in Athens — it’s the 16th year,” said Dan Whiteley, guitarist for Seascapes. “So Scott Winland, the guy who puts the show together, asked us to play and we jumped at the opportunity.”
Blackoutfest, with its inclusion of a wide variety of musical styles, gives attendees the chance to experience new sounds and performances, Fuller said.
“There’s a lot of diversity as far as the local bands go, so it’s a way to get familiar with the type of music that goes on in Athens, and it’s a great way to get familiar with a lot of independent touring bands,” Fuller said.
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