WE68 RADIO CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY AT SPRING VALLEY'S THE BANCROFT

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photo:  Drummer Chase Richard with the band Horsefly

April 2, 2017 (Spring Valley) - Punked on April 1^st? Was it by punk music? Metal? Or grunge? That music was celebrated at WE68 Radio’s 5^th anniversary festival held at Spring Valley’s The Bancroft on April Fool’s Day.

Many may think that punk, grunge, and metal music do not exist in San Diego County but they are wrong. Scratch the surface and internet stations like WE68 (or Whatever68) are pumping out interviews and this genre of music. Metal bands play, create, and write music here.

Lisa Monday-Gomez, or the PunkrPrincess, founded WE68 Radio five years ago and pumps out interviews with musicians and, well, underground music.

“I’ve done 200-300 interviews” said Monday-Gomez.  Her playlist in part?  “Amazing unsigned musicians. I go through my e-mails and pick bands.” 

Orange County’s Bleed the Skye band member Endele Wilson served as master of ceremonies for the night that included eleven bands that came from California and Arizona. Wilson said the metal scene in Long Beach is thriving. WE68 Radio’s festival ran from 3:30 p.m. until closing.

Drummer Chase Richard (pictured), or as he introduced himself ---Dirk Diggler, with the band Horsefly, warmed up the festival before his band mates Jeff Alger on guitar, and Glenn Peterson on bass joined him for the first set of the night. Finding out people’s real names at this event was like finding out the real names of a motorcycle gang…. pull it out or wear a badge and “coax” it out.

Alger said he has been listening to WE68Radio for about 1-1/2 years adding “My bass player saw her (Monday-Gomez or PunkrPrincess).” While WE68 Radio offers one genre of internet radio another EnterTalk Radio (WSRadio online) offers shows for musicians by musicians.

WE68 Radio is based in National City and they whittled the festival bands down to ten with BDSM, Horsefly, Rodents of Unusual Size, Piss Poor, Steeltoe, Timm Saxton, Sculpins, Los Gattos, Rockaways, Revolt Chix, and had Spice Pistols closing.

Monday-Gomez, hip to the 10-cent price of shopping bags, offered small to medium sized bags with WE68 Radio’s logo emblazoned on them. Other swag bags, buttons, and miscellaneous WE68 Radio paraphernalia were being handed out to festival attendees as well.

The Bancroft is located on Campo Road in Spring Valley.