The Official PhanPhest Website

History

The history of PhanPhest begins at my house. In an effort to bring people closer together and provide a forum for smaller bands to play, the concept of a PhanPhest for "boardies" and "boardie bands" was born.*

As legend has it, one housemate suggested a keg party to help with the looming rent. The idea was discussed, but the rent raising party never occured; instead a festival was born. Drawing on our own experiences, and questioning what the community and scene were lacking, we decided to make a change. Ultimately, our goal is to provide a platform for regional and upcoming bands on the scene. We look forward to presenting a new type of festival offering a low cost, high quality musical experience for the festival fan.

The First Semi-Annual PhanPhest was held on Saturday October 5, 2002 in Wanamassa, NJ. The musical acts were Nomadic Design, Scarecrow Collection, a one-time project called [b + e] featuring Brian Amsterdam, and Secret Sound. When I woke up the following morning I counted 27 tents on my acre of property. It was like a dream come true, bringing the scene into my suburban community. I paused and wondered why so very few people ever think of throwing a party on their own property. I remained open to suggestions and the largest complaint that I recieved was that there was no music the following day.

For our second PhanPhest, we increased the number of bands and made it into a two day music festival. The bands were Nomadic Design, Scarecrow Collection, Juggling Suns, Fry Daddy, and one-time project called Last Ditch Effort featuring Brian Amsterdam and Buddy Cage, who also sat in with Juggling Suns. When I awoke this time, on May 4, 2003, I counted 62 tents. Silently I pondered what was happening to my acre of property. I was running out of space. It was time to find a new location to gather friends, camp, and support great bands.

- Phan