When local folk rockers O Fidelis approached music photographer Doug Schwarz last year about throwing a concert for his birthday, he offered his plot of land outside of Yukon in lieu of a venue.
They thought of everything — electricity, staging, sound equipment — except for bathrooms.
“The majority of people ended up using the woods,” Schwarz said, laughing. “We did have a shop that we carted people to if they needed a little more privacy. This year, we made sure to get Porta-Potties.”
With the toilet troubles addressed, Schwarzstock — rescheduled from May due to weather — expands from its inaugural, two-band lineup to a robust, diverse bill of 12 acts. Schwarz had the help of local musicians Sam Welchel, Kyle Mayfield and Doug Varner in growing the modest countryside concert into a full-fledged festival setting this go-round.
“The reaction from last year is what made us decide to take it to another level,” Schwarz said. “O Fidelis and I were walking around picking up cans, cigarettes and condoms the next morning ... and we just kind of stopped and looked at each other, and we all knew it had to be bigger this time. We immediately started coming up with ideas for this year.”
A full day of music allows them to accommodate more of their favorite local bands. More musicians equals greater diversity, from the tribal-electro sound of Mannachine to the psychedelic rock of Junebug Spade.
“People should give these bands a listen. It is such a wide variety of music, you’re bound to find at least two or three that you will fall in love with,” Schwarz said. “We truly believe these are 12 of the best bands the state has to offer.”
Next year promises to be even bigger, with Schwarz planning a twoday event to include Oklahoma acts like The Wurly Birds and Brother Gruesome that he discovered since finalizing this outing’s lineup. There are even talks of bringing in established national acts to complement the beloved homegrown groups. Although Schwarzstock celebrates Schwarz’s birthday, he’s more concerned with giving than receiving. “This might sound a little cheesy, but I really get off on seeing people have a good time at something that I have put together,” he said. “I imagine there will be a ton of moments where I am just stopping and staring at people rocking out.”
Admission is free, but capacity is limited. Liability waivers will be required at the gate; food and drink will be available onsite. For directions or more information, contact Schwarz at facebook.com/dougschwarz.
SchWarz-ule
Skating Polly — 3 p.m.
Larry Chin — 4 p.m.
Deerpeople — 5 p.m.
Feathered Rabbit — 6 p.m.
Misnomer — 7 p.m.
Chrome Pony — 8 p.m.
Moon — 9 p.m.
The Electric Primadonnas — 10 p.m.
The Gentle Art of Floating — 11 p.m.
Junebug Spade — midnight
O Fidelis — 1 a.m.
Mannachine — 2 a.m.
