By Michael Luce
April Fool’s Day might have passed, but the tomfoolery has only just begun in Provo. This Saturday, April 9th, Velour will host the third-annual Festival of Fools with performances by Loafa, Homestyle Dinner Rolls, and No Such Animal. The show, named after its proximity to April Fool’s Day, is meant as celebration of silliness and fun, with attendees encouraged to come wearing a costume and let loose with some great music.
No Such Animal frontman Finn Morrison explained, “Festival of Fools is awesome because it combines a rock concert and a costume party. You can be as wild and wacky as you want, and it doesn’t matter. I wanted to create an environment where weird is normal and normal is weird.” At last year’s Festival of Fools, No Such Animal debuted the title track from their recent album The Entertainer, a song that has since proven itself as one of their most popular. When asked about what this year’s setlist holds, Finn answered that the group would yet again be debuting a new theatrical piece as part of their next phase, though whether this one will also be 8+ minutes remains to be seen.
In addition to No Such Animal, Danny Kawai and Jake Follette’s band Homestyle Dinner Rolls have played all three years for Festival of Fools and are excited to again be a part of the event. “Being a part of this show has been very special to us,” Danny said. “When No Such Animal and Corey Fox invited us to play the first Festival of Fools, we were just entering the music scene, and it was one of our first shows that actually felt like a real concert. The fact that it’s an annual event now just makes me purely giddy.”
The duo have been making music together since they were 15 and love being a part of the Provo music community. Both commented on the immense level of talent and variety of genres in the local scene and expressed their desire to put their best efforts so they can contribute to that excellence. Although they haven’t performed much recently, they’re both eager to get back on stage. They’ve hinted at more music and shows coming soon, and if their recent single “Take” is any indicator of the direction they’re headed, fans are in for a treat.
While the other two bands have played at Festival of Fools previously, Loafa are newcomers to the event. The group started as a solo project for frontman Logan Mardesich and since expanding have focused their energy toward writing the music they enjoy rather than what people want to hear from them, resulting in a distinct sound. Only a few weeks ago, Loafa released their first full-length album, Identity Crisis, and played through the new material at an album release show at The Boardwalk. Despite being the rookie fools, they’re still as pumped up as the other groups.
“Personally, I’m looking forward to playing with some amazing local bands,” Logan said. “It seems like we all have similar taste and style in our music, and I just can’t wait to feel the energy the set brings out just because of that.”
Rhythm guitarist Tyler Johnson added, “The best part about the local scene is that everyone’s in it together. We’ve all got the same goals and dreams, and every band supports each other regardless of followers or monthly listeners; a rising tide raises all ships kind of a thing. Making friends with other bands, sharing ideas and songs with each other, hanging out before shows, it all feels like we’re making a life worth living.”
Each of the bands will be performing with a theme or gimmick, from No Such Animal coordinating their costumes for the first time ever to Loafa, who alluded to possible switching of roles and new music. For Homestyle Dinner Rolls, Danny made it very clear that he didn’t want to give anything away and to ignore anything Jake said. Jake agreed. “I’m not going to spoil anything at all,” he said. “You’re getting nothing out of me. We’re dressing up as [redacted by editor to comply with Danny].”
All three bands agreed on one thing: anyone coming should wear a costume. There is no theme, so (almost) anything goes! (PSA: Please be reasonable with your costumes; Velour is an all-ages venue after all.) There are few things as absurd as a Halloween party in April where everyone is moshing while wearing costumes, and that absurdity is the point of the night. Even if you aren’t able to get an ornate costume ready before Saturday, this is not a show you’ll want to miss. Last year’s show included covers of ABBA and “The Phantom of the Opera,” and you can bet there is more insanity, dare I say foolishness, on the plate for this year.
As Jake from Homestyle Dinner Rolls put it, “Just know that if you don’t show up, your friends will be saying ‘hey man, we missed you at the show, where were you?’ Your mom will be asking that as well. But I’ll know where your mom was that night. At our show.”
Like I said, pure silliness.
Festival of Fools begins at 7:30 this Saturday at Velour. You can buy tickets here. Until then, be sure to check out No Such Animal, Homestyle Dinner Rolls, and Loafa on Instagram! You can listen to “Take” as you pick out your costume.