Shoegaze at MR Fest

By Savannah Olson
Music Journalist

The bars and music venues of San Marcos have transformed from their usual valor of serving drinks and presenting music, to becoming venues for MR Fest 2017. Here at AquaBrew, the same change is happening before our eyes. The bands performing on this sunny day at AquaBrew are The Cold Tony’s, Fly Coco, Muff, Taiga, NightClerk, Glaze, SHMU and The Sun Machine. As bands set up and fans filter into the outside patio, a MR Fest attendee tells me that she’s “excited to see The Cold Tony’s and Glaze later.” I decide to take a more general connotation of the venue’s genre, shoegaze, and examine what shoes I’m seeing among the crowd. There’s a large assortment of Vans and Adidas, with no loss of worn-in boots and heels. You can even see the shoes jitter in excitement as the first band, The Cold Tony’s, begins setting up to start off a great day at MR Fest and at AquaBrew. 

Originally from San Marcos, The Cold Tony’s are a four-piece psychedelic-rock and shoegaze band. “We’re kind of like a collective,” says lead vocalist and guitarist, Michael Martinez, as he’s naming off band members. At today’s set, other members of the band included Nate Whitcomb on bass and their original drummer Joey Chapman joining them. Starting their set at five minutes after 1 p.m., the band sets the mood of the day with their mellow sound, giving this sweltering day a chill atmosphere to enjoy great music. Performing songs from both their

new album, Bake Love, and their 2016 debut EP, Fresh Fruit, the band gave a stellar set at their first MR Fest. Exclaiming it was “the most fun set” they’ve had in a while, The Cold Tony’s loved the freedom of playing today, insisting it was the “good kind of sloppy.” With plans to float around and see a few other bands here at MR Fest, The Cold Tony’s ended their performance with a level of fun I hope to see throughout the day.

The Cold Tony’s are only the first band playing here at AquaBrew for MR Fest 2017, with a stellar lineup of shoegaze bands performing. Glaze will be here at 5 p.m., with The Sun Machine ending the night at 7 p.m. If you love live music or just want to hang out at the outside patio, come on over! Help KTSW celebrate MR Fest’s 10th anniversary by enjoying live music at downtown San Marcos. No wristband, no cash, no problem!

Featured image by Lucero Trevino.