Mockingbird Wish Me Luck

Hometown: Kitchener, ON
Latest Release: Branches 7-inch (Dine Alone)
Fest Set Time: Sunday, October 30 6:30-7:00 at 1982 Bar

I am thrilled to see Mockingbird Wish Me Luck out of their element, and that element is Ontario. Sure, they've signed to the Dine Alone label and have toured with bigger name acts like Alexisonfire, but those are still very much "home territory" accomplishments. The Fest could be Mockingbird's grand introduction to the wider punk world, and given how deeply their midtempo, melodic and gruff-voiced punk is rooted in the No Idea sound they should find a receptive audience. Scheduling conflicts aside (and Mockingbird is up against a few big ones), there's a lot of opportunity here. Gainesville might be a long way from Kitchener, but Mockingbird should sound right at home. —Adam White

P.S. Eliot

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY (by way of Birmingham, AL)
Latest Release: Sadie (Salinas)
Fest Set Time: Friday, October 28 11:20-11:50 at The Atlantic

P.S. Eliot is a punk band with pop sensibilities originally from Birmingham, Alabama but now located on Brooklyn, New York. The only consistent members have been the Crutchfield sisters with Katie on guitar, Allison on drums and both sisters sharing vocal duties. To date, the band currently has released two albums and several EPs with the most recent release, Sadie, released this past April. The Crutchfield sisters also have another active project, Bad Banana, as well as both having been a part of the now defunct band, The Ackleys. Katie also has an active solo project called Waxahatchee. With a sound that seamlessly melds sensibilities from punk, 90s alternative and even 60s girls groups, they're one of the more original bands on this year's Fest schedule. Yes, they are playing at the same time as Hot Water Music, but if you're worn out on gruff punk for the day P.S Eliot might be a viable alternative. Their latest full-length Sadie is available as a pay-what-you-want download from If You Make It. —Armando Olivas

Kite Party

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Latest Release: Baseball Season (Self-released)
Fest Set Time: Saturday, October 29 11:00-11:30 at The Atlantic

Just when it seemed like the Philadelphia music scene had been completely and utterly tapped of its quality, along comes another unreal band. Kite Party now have a pair of releases under their belt (2009's Wish Mountain EP and this year's Baseball Season full-length), and, as a last-minute addition to Fest, unfortunately won't generate much buzz (so getting into The Atlantic to see them, which can sometimes be difficult, may be easy). Their brand of fuzzy, airy indie punk comes to a magnificent head on Baseball Season, and there's little doubt about how well it'd translate live--in all likelihood, louder, fuzzier and much more moving. Hey, record label owners: Sign this band yesterday. —Bryne Yancey

Dikembe

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Latest Release: Chicago Bowls EP (Self-released)
Fest Set Time: Sunday, October 30 7:40-8:10 at Loosey's

With the homecourt advantage, Gainesville’s Dikembe will be playing on Sunday at Loosey’s nestled nicely between Junior Battles and Failures Union. We got to know them earlier this year with their debut EP Chicago Bowls with such great pun-tastic tracks like "Scottie Spliffen" and "Michael Jordank." They have incredibly catchy hooks, driving guitars and with Steven Gray on vocals (also of Wavelets fame) they produce a similar sound to Wavelets, but the end product is much more cohesive, polished and just plain better. Lucky you, the EP is still available for free on their bandcamp page. Keep your eyes peeled for a label announcement for their debut full-length Broad Shoulders coming soon. You’re going to be hearing more from this band, so be sure to catch them on Sunday so you can say, "Oh yeah, I saw them back at Fest 10 when like 20 people were there because everyone else was seeing Teenage Bottlerocket." —Kira Wisniewski

Carpenter

Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Latest Release: Sea to Sky (Goldstock / Paper + Plastick)
Fest Set Time: Sunday, October 30 1:30-2:00 at 1982 Bar

Hot off the heels of a recent European tour with fellow Canadians This Is a Standoff, Vancouver, BC's Carpenter is returning to Gainesville for their second straight Fest. The band is supporting its sophomore full-length, Sea to Sky, one of last year's better under-the-radar releases. Their live show packs a potent punch, with the energy of the band members surpassed only by the height of singer Dan Sioui's high leg kicks, which occur surprisingly often. In the coming months, Sioui is also slated to release the debut EP of his side project, Indian Affairs. They're one of the first bands performing on The Fest's final day, so there's little excuse to miss them. —Darren McLeod

Bangers

Hometown: Cornwall, UK
Latest Release: Small Pleasures (Kiss of Death)
Fest Set Time: Saturday, October 29 3:50-4:20 at Bar 1982

With tunes like "Geeks and Paedophiles" and "Church Street in Ruins," Cornwall, UK’s Bangers master the unique English skill of delivering dry, biting humor alongside poignancy without ever letting on that they’re in on the joke. While the band does utilize classic pop-punk hooks with a dash of soulfully gruff vocals, they’ve been steadily growing in acclaim do to this years Small Pleasures which masterfully mixes the mundane with the melancholy with the mirthful. Having played the Fest in 2010, the band is one of the few international acts making a return visit this year, drawn to the grounds by both audience demand and a regiment of incessant touring. With Bangers' last record having received rave reviews and a live show energetic and sloppy enough to warrant the aforementioned incessant touring, this might be the year the band break through in the States, so those catching Bangers at their Fest appearance might be able to say "I was there at the beginning, man!" next year. —John Gentile

Junior Battles

Hometown: Toronto, ON
Latest Release: Idle Ages (Paper + Plastick)
Fest Set Time: Sunday, October 30 6:50-7:20 at Loosey's

Junior Battles are infurating. Any self respecting beard-sporting PBR-swigging Fest-goer will rightfully turn to run the other way once they hear the clean, youthful and decidedly ungruff pop vocals the Toronto band slathers upon their songs. Yet they won't be able to, as there's something about Junior Battles' songwriting, paritcularly on their new LP Idle Ages, that will lay its hooks into even the blackest Orgcore heart. You might as well see them now before some Fall Out Boy producer tracks them down, kidnaps them, and rebuilds them as vapid mainstream schlockbots with VMAs and reality show girlfriends. —Adam White

Post Teens

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Latest Release: None; two 7-inches are on the way via Sound Study Recordings and No Idea
Fest Set Time: Saturday, October 29 10:30-11:00 at 1982 Bar

Although Post Teens hail from Gainesville, the majority of Festgoers do not, so this will be the first opportunity for many to catch the band live. It's a chance worth taking, as their shows are loud, heavy, frenetic and a lot of fun. The group's sound, despite sounding familiar, has a ton of unique character in it and is tough to pin down—think a louder Marked Men mixed with the calculated heaviness of Torche and with maybe a dash of Dillinger Four's brashness, and you'd be in the ballpark. A pair of 7-inches are set to be released soon via Sound Study Recordings and No Idea, with a huge splash in the punk scene likely to follow. —Bryne Yancey

Post Teens--Fucked Up Perception from A Justice on Vimeo.

Great Cynics

Hometown: London, UK
Latest Release: Don't Need Much (Kind of Like Records)
Fest Set Time: Saturday, October 29 5:20-5:50 at CMC

Great Cynics is a three-piece hailing from East London that originally began in 2009 as a solo act featuring front man Giles Bidder, a talented songwriter with a knack for storytelling be it in an acoustic or an electric setting. As you might recall, the band recently went through a lawsuit in which they had to change their name from Cynics to Great Cynics. Due to this lawsuit the bands release schedule for their album, Don't Need Much, was severely delayed. In spite of this setback the band has still managed to create a sizeable fan base both in the UK and abroad. Great Cynics plan on re-recording the first EP as a full band and expect to release it sometime this year. —Armando Olivas

Dirty Tactics

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Latest Release: The Divine Middle EP (Kiss of Death / Say-10)
Fest Set Time: Saturday, October 29 4:40-5:10 at Double Down Live

Philadelphia's Dirty Tactics have that elusive mix of personality and songwriting that bands like Against Me! and Fake Problems are building careers upon. Albums like It Is What It Is showcase a band as angry as they are eclectic and more than happy to take a turn for the weird when you least expect it. Their recent EP The Divine Middle, produced by Pete from the Bouncing Souls, finds the group seriously honing their songwriting. See them now when they're still relatively young and hungry. —Adam White

Dirty Tactics: "Light in August" from Punknews.org on Vimeo.