Vexfest returns to downtown Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN — Vexfest is back.

The downtown music festival that ran aground after its third installment in 2003 returns Aug. 12, with more than 40 bands playing on four stages.

An all-day, all-ages free affair, Vexfext IV is also a unique opportunity to see in one day practically every pop music band of note in Youngstown ... plus a few from outside the area.

The festival began in 2001 and was a hit from the start. The most recent one, in 2003, drew 5,000 fans. The promoters of the resurrected event expect to draw a similar number this time around.

Vexfest rose from its ashes when Fred Rafidi, who owns the West Federal Street building that houses Barley’s (he also operated the Plaza, an earlier incarnation of the bar), hooked up with Jimmy DeCapua, who runs a MySpace page tagged Youngstownlocalmusic that serves as a clearinghouse of information. DeCapua also fronts the band Jones 4 Revival.

Vexfest, featuring more than 40 live performances, opens at noon Sunday. Admission is free.

For the full story, see Thursday’s Vindicator or Vindy.com.