On Saturday, March 18th, Hunnypot Unlimited rolled down the coast to check out the 10th annual Musink Festival in Costa Mesa, CA. For those who have not attended in the past or are unfamiliar, Musink is a world-renowned music and tattoo festival hosted by none other than BLINK 182’s Travis Barker. Nearly 20,000 people attended the 3-day event and nobody in attendance left disappointed. In addition to killer music and some of the most talented tattoo artists in the industry today, The Low 'N' Slow Car Show, presented by Travis Barker's Famous Stars and Straps also made an appearance. Some of the most amazing cars I have ever seen were on display at this year’s event. For those who are into customs, it was a dream come true!
Musink is an all-inclusive community and the show welcomes all. From the young to the young at heart, there was something for everybody at this years show. Plenty of families brought along their young children to experience the festival for the very first time, and most came well-prepared with ear protection and warm clothing to experience all of the nighttime festivities. In addition to the car-show and killer musical lineup, two halls were packed with some of the most influential tattoo artists on the planet. Each were showing off their talents and many festival-goers arrived early to get inked by their favorite tattoo artist. Some of the artists in attendance at this year's Musink included:
Robert Atkinson, Jack Rudy, Nikko Hurtado, Little Linda, Juan Puente, Small Paul Stottler, Yushi Holie Glory, Marc Jackson, Fabian Lezzi, Franco Vescovi, Baba, Eddie Tana, Gold Rush Tattoo, Corey Miller, Britton McFetridge, Freddy Negrete, Alex Trufant, Charlie Roberts, Eric Gonzalez, Chuey Quintanar, Norm, Big Sleeps, Frank Whittington, Shawn Barber, Kim Saigh, Lynn King, Big Gus, Bob Tyrrell, Rich Pineda, Julius Vargas, Steve Schultz, Gary Elsworth, Brian Gonzalez, Carlos Macias, Tattoo Louie, John Caleb, Mando Islas, London Reese, Josh Woods, Chris Earl and many more.
After touring the Tattoo halls and chatting up some of these world class artists, I was able to catch live performances by HELL OR HIGH WATER, STORY OF THE YEAR, GOLDFINGER, GLASSJAW, and THE USED. The live performances were held in a large open-air building that was adjacent to a killer VIP Area. Guests who were lucky enough to hold VIP passes had access to a dedicated bar, restrooms and a ton of food choices that simply blew you away. The configuration of the Musink Festival was well thought out and to be frank, simply perfect!
Afternoon entertainment kicked into overdrive with Brandon Saller's solo band, HELL OR HIGH WATER. As one would expect, the general admission area started out with a small crowd. However, as mid-set approached and these guys were hitting on all cylinders, the building quickly filled up. I was quite pleased with the how tight this band and am looking forward to seeing the future success of this group. STORY OF THE YEAR was up next. The St. Louis natives came on strong with their catalog of hits and had an incredible stage presence. Their jumps and karate kicks made for a very entertaining set. Next up was GOLDFINGER whom I have seen a few times and they are always one of my favorites. John Feldmann's vocals were spot on and it was a pleasant surprise to see Travis Barker playing drums for the entire set! By the time these guys were finished, the building was at full-capacity with many fans spilling out to adjacent areas outside of the tent.
GLASSJAW was up next and was a fan-favorite favorite of many, especially their super-fans in attendance. It was mosh-pit mayhem throughout their set, and anyone in proximity of the pit walked away exhausted and drenched in sweat. Daryl Palumbo and company were simply brilliant. The headliner of Musink Day 2 was THE USED. These Utah natives , fronted by Bert McCracken, were everything they were hyped to be and more and played a solid hour+ set. They played hits and b-sides from their entire discography, and left even their most die-hard fans thrilled with the setlist that evening. The crowd was totally into the set from opening song to the final encore and left the capacity crowd wanting more when the lights kicked back on. As always, the Musink fans showed a lot of love and support for this very popular band and you could tell that THE USED fed off this energy all night long. Overall, an excellent choice to end a solid day of killer entertainment and one that will not soon be forgotten by all those in attendance.
If you were unable to attend this year’s event, mark your calendars now for Musink 2018. This year’s show was one for the ages and I have no doubt that Travis Barker and Company will go even bigger next year. Whether you were there for the tattoo's, the music, the car show, or combination of the above, Musink is definitely a "bucket-list" type Festival and should be a must for next year and beyond!
