Illustration by Estefania B. Alonso
Hangover Fest brings together local and international bands.
By James Dusek
jdusek3@student.alamo.edu
As the annual South by Southwest music festival in Austin grows near, students in this city might look for a smaller, more local option.
Paper Tiger at 2410 N. St. Mary’s St. will host the fifth annual Burger Records Hangover Fest beginning at noon March 19.
The event will feature more than 40 bands, from local acts such as Sunjammer and True Indigo to international bands like The Parrots.
The bands Temples and Television headline the event.
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The event is open to all ages and tickets are $40. VIP tickets run $69, and include charging stations and drink tickets for beer provided by Freetail Brewing Company.
This year’s Hangover Fest is the first time Television has performed in San Antonio.
“Each year, we kind of shift the focus to what we want to contribute to the San Antonio scene,” said event founder Nick Ivarra.
This year, he said, event organizers wanted to bring in big headlining acts, which they didn’t have in past events.
“It’s still super surreal to know that they’ll (Television) be here in a month,” Ivarra said.
Fuzzland Productions, a local booking, production and promotion company run by Ivarra and co-owner Osita Anusi, organizes the event each year.
Anusi said Hangover Fest was started to bring nearby bands from the South by Southwest music festival into San Antonio, particularly the ones signed to the Burger Records label based out of Fullerton, Calif.
“There were a lot of bands that were coming through the San Antonio area that were on the Burger circuit,” Anusi said. “They were all coming through because they were all heading to South-By.”
Ivarra said he felt a connection with Burger Records after they released his band’s first two records. Ivarra’s and Anusi’s bands, The Rich Hands and The Bolos, will also play at the festival.
The event isn’t limited to bands signed to Burger Records.
In the five years since it began, the event has become a hit in the local music scene.
“It kind of got to this point where it is a bit bigger than we expected,” Ivarra said.
He said last year’s event drew about 800 people, and they’re expecting more this year.
For a full list of performers and more information on the event, visit www.facebook.com/Burgerhangoverfest/.
