Dennis Steffan has been a dedicated contributor to the Las Vegas punk scene for a number of years now, including drumming for veteran punks, Sector 7-G, and his latest project, hardcore outfit Jamaican Bobsledding Team. But Steffan has decided to make 2016 his busiest year yet, gathering the best acts from Nevada, California, Arizona, and Colorado for a two day festival under the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona March 19-20, headlined by Voodoo Glow Skulls and Angry Samoans.
Spring Break Under the Bridge is as DIY as you can get, with Steffan laying the initial groundwork to get the ball rolling; obtaining permits, confirming headliners, and getting funding. He is not alone anymore, though. Establishing a committee of volunteer punks from across the valley, they meet every other week at Camel Hump Studios to work out the kinks to making this a memorable and repeatable event.
Unlike some festivals, Spring Break isn’t backed by a millionaire web mogul or a multi-million dollar entertainment agency. It’s organized by local musicians and scene contributors excited to create something new and fun. I had the chance to talk to Dennis about coming up with the idea, his determination to see it through, and the help he’s gotten along the way.
Why should people come out to Spring Break Under the Bridge?
Not only is this an opportunity to experience a show of this proportion for free, but people get to see all these remarkable bands in a completely unique location in another city at the peak of an already popular migratory destination: spring break in Lake Havasu! It’s so different from anything we as a scene have done and we get to do it together. Not only as bands, but as fans of each other. There’s no separation at this event. There is no backstage or walls or barricades.
People should come out to be part of something so full of positivity and love. And they shouldn’t come just for what they will see, they should come for the memories of the experience they will take home with them.
What compelled you to start a festival of this kind?
There are many reasons for doing something like this, but I’ll give you one reason that stands above the others: none of this would be even remotely possible without the amazing Jesse Celis. He is the sound man. He provides a canvas that allows these bands to paint their music on. If it wasn’t for him and what he brings to the table — a sound system I can’t even begin to describe — I would never have taken on a project like this. I would never even have thought of it.
But with the ability to amplify these bands in a nearly arena size area, it gives us the courage and confidence to take on projects like this. [Jesse] made the 2014 bridge show and the roller skating show possible. And it’s a plus that he’s an outstanding guy that loves to do things like this. It make things so easy, it doesn’t even seem like work at all.
How did the city of Lake Havasu react when you initially brought the idea to them?
The city [has] been so supportive of this from the beginning. The staff with City Planning has been such a huge help and has never expressed any doubt or concern. But at the same time there was a lot of preparation, thought and consideration put into the way I presented and pitched the idea. I had a sense of where my boundaries were right off the bat and made sure I stayed within those lines as I rolled this out.
I took everything into consideration, not only at the show level but made sure I had plans for safety and preservation of surrounding property. I’m sure that was appreciated and the results were full support from their end, even to the point where the police did not find it necessary to patrol the area at the last event. When the city gave me the thumbs, they had some rules and expectations for us to follow and as long as we abide, I’m sure we will be able to do this for years to come.
What are some of the differences from the Havasu event in 2014 as opposed to now?
The 2014 show was a single day event where I featured local acts only (no headliners), and it ended just after sunset. After the bridge, I had scheduled a show at Mckees Bar up the road. When everything was said and done, I received a lot of feedback from the all-ages community that they were disappointed they weren’t able to see the bands that played the bar. This hit me pretty hard because I hadn’t considered that when I was setting things up, and the all-ages scene is very important to music art development: they are our future audience and musicians.
So one of the biggest changes is running the bridge show as late as I can for two consecutive days to give these kids (everyone in fact), the opportunity to see all these awesome bands in a unique environment. And with the addition of headliners like Voodoo Glow Skulls and Angry Samoans (Later Years), this event is a much more evolved and thought-out version of the original.
What are some of the toughest hurdles when tackling something of this nature?
Two of the toughest hurdles of this project have been time and money. At first, when everything is just an idea, there seems like there is plenty of time and nothing has a cost yet. But when you start to hash it out, isolate the goals both small and large along the way, you quickly realize you should have started months ago.
And it’s easy for your eyes to get too big for your wallet, especially when you are trying to do something that’s larger than you have ever done before. Eek! But just like everything else that is about being in a band or being a musician, or even putting together shows, this is a practice.
This is something we will get better at every time we do it. We have to learn to welcome these obstacles because it forces us to push ourselves to overcome them. And sure we will make some mistakes, but how else are we going to learn? What are hurdles this time will be far less than that next time, and new things to overcome will present themselves. I can’t wait!
How draining has it been spearheading the planning?
Overall, not too bad! There are goals to accomplish and deadlines to meet and as we nail these down one at a time, the positivity stays high and drives the motivation. I think there’s too much excitement over this to be draining. I knew what I was getting into when I started this so, I was mentally prepared to take it on.
How much help have you received from the local scene?
There has been an amazing amount of help offered by the music community. The Las Vegas scene is such a tight-knit community of friends and family, and it’s really shown this during the course of putting this together. I’m so lucky to be here with these people. Not only do I have a team of remarkable individuals made of local musicians who are completely focused on the task at hand, the overall support from everyone in Las Vegas and scenes in surrounding cities, keeping the motivation going, has really been that backbone of help overall. I don’t think there is a single word or phrase that can really express how thankful I am.
What is your biggest expectation for that weekend?
Fun!
Spring Break Under the Bridge will take place Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20, 2016 under the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona. The lineup includes Voodoo Glow Skulls, Angry Samoans (later years), Tartar Control, Be Like Max, Hard Pipe Hitters, New Cold War, The Quitters and much more. The event is completely free and all-ages. You can find more information and have any questions answered through the event’s Facebook pages.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1635706766690224/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1507424766232209/
-Alan Madrigal
Photo of Dennis by Anthony Constantine
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