A Mobile Music Venue

#TheZineUK is a situationist doc of musical tapestry. Here are more threads weaving from new friends, recently made in the USA.

We reported in snapshots from Austin Texas in March.

Three staged recommendations are (1) Scruff Of The Neck (we catch up with them at SoccerSixFest in July!), (2) End Of The Trail who put us in touch with (3) the alternative/simultaneous festival during SXSW week, Vancerts: which we describe in the report as “hospitality and a shining passion.”

It’s A Van Fest 2023

Having staged UK gigs, ourselves, in lorry containers (and a hip hop pop up at The Great Escape Festival!) Van Fest at JNL Barbecue was on TheZineUK’s yellow brick road of wavelength. A rocking house party by the likes of Panic Shack, Noah and the Loners, Avalanche Party, MOSES, Wynona Bleach, Big Special, Saloon Dion, Enjoyable Listen - and so many more proved music is the special “united” relationship between the UK and USA.

Read on for the full monty on Vancerts:

What and Who is Vancerts?

by Gary Lindsey

Driving down East Cesar Chavez in Austin, TX on a sunny weekend afternoon, it would be easy to miss the live music projecting from a small stage outside of JNL Barbecue, who went from food-truck, to opening their first brick and mortar location at 2027 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, Texas.

In a town with no shortage of live music or restaurant openings, it would be easy to ignore this event as nothing more than the common audio landscape of the live music capital of the world. But not all events are created equal.

While most rely on money - especially during SXSW - many others have to rely on heart, determination, empathy, sweat and a sincere love for the artistry of live music, in all its forms.

A Green and Yellow Dodge Ram B250 Van, parked next to the stage, boldly announces the fine line between just another mindless marketing transaction, and an actual event of cultural significance. This vehicle is the office of David Castro, owner and operator of Vancerts.

Castro created Vancerts when his surprisingly successful DIY venue The Bird Barn was put out to pasture, like so many, by the COVID 19 shutter for all venues in 2020. With nothing to his name but some decent sound equipment, an extensive contacts list from three years of booking, and a drive to keep music alive in Austin. He set up in the parking lot of a friend's print shop Austin's infamous “Feels So Good” print shop and Vancerts was born.

Playing that fateful first show was YouTube sensation, Yayo “KISS-guy” Sanchez, who has been a supporter of Castro’s since the pre-Vancert days of the Bird Barn.

Sanchez knows a little something about seizing the moment and making the most of it as well. He famously altered the course of his own destiny, using nothing more than some KISS make-up and a handmade sign to convince Dave Grohl to let him come onstage and play lead guitar on the popular Foo-Fighters song, Monkey Wrench.

The moment was recorded, posted to Youtube, and then went viral - instantly changing his life. Sanchez has known and been working with Castro since the pre-Vancert days of the Bird Barn.

“It kinda sounds hokey,” Sanchez shares, “but he just has that like that rock spirit, ya know, of just being like, ‘Dude, I’m gonna pull up to this place and we’re gonna just throw up a show, it’s gonna be loud, and people are gonna dig it,’”

Sanchez further tells of those uncertain times during the pandemic, “the world was shut down at the time, it was a pretty radical thing that he did… someone had to do it and he was the guy.”

As the doors started to reopen, and the masks slowly came off, Castro found to his surprise that his idea worked beyond the niche market he created it for. In a music-city like Austin, with so many dreams on the line, the demand for promotional content is relentless.

Being able to build a show from scratch, with not only professional grade sound equipment, backline and power generator, but also the ability to facilitate live video, pro Photography, live recording and specialized event production, suddenly put Castro in a class by himself.

With all of this momentum building, the only logical next step for him to take would be to create the first Vancerts music festival and that’s just what he did. “It’s a Van Fest” 2023 took place March 11th to 19th at JNL Barbecue and featured talent from literally all over the world, spotlighting over fifty live sets.

ATX! If you are looking to stay in follow the adventure or participate in a local event be sure to check out https://linktr.ee/vancerts

UK and beyond, if you’re going to SXSW 2024 you may wanna see what’s happening around Vancerts, too!