Sam Sniper
Musician and bartender William Chamberlain has known for some time that he wanted to put together a Schlitz-themed festival at his place of employment. Specifically, he yearned to confront the popular perception of the watery, beerlike cult-fave beverage—Flicker’s bestselling item—head-on.
“[Schlitz] has this connotation of being like, gutter beer,” Chamberlain says. “It’s cool to embrace it… to try to make something classy out of nothing.”
Upon reaching out to the distributor with the idea, a mysterious package arrived in the mail full of Schlitz-branded merchandise, including a talking SchlitzFish, a horseshoe set and, perhaps strangest of all, a Schlitz skateboard.
“We opened it up, and [Flicker co-owner Jeremy Long] said, ‘It’s like Schlitzmas.'”
And so a title was born for the nascent festival, which, yes, will celebrate the oft-maligned suds but also feature three killer lineups over three consecutive nights, and give back to the community to boot. (All proceeds from wristband and ticket sales will go to Nuçi’s Space.)
Indeed, though the schedule was cobbled together over two short weeks, it boasts some pretty spectacular bills.
“Luckily,” says Chamberlain, “I have enough friends in town that have amazing rock and roll bands.”
Night one is experimental-minded, featuring locals Crippling, Hand Sand Hands and Tom Television, among others. The second night features Chamberlain’s new band, Island Dogs, who will perform with Sam Sniper, Kill Kill Buffalo and more. Night three is a free-for-all; hip-hop headliners Mad Axes share the stage with Timmy Tumble, The Humms and newly formed Cramps cover band De Lux Interiors, to name a few.
All-access wristbands are available in advance from the bar, as well as a few surrounding businesses like Low Yo Yo Stuff, and cost $10. Tickets for individual shows can be purchased at the door for $5. And with a wristband, you’ll receive a raffle ticket each night, with which you can win sweet Schlitz merch—including, yes, the aforementioned skateboard.
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