Royal Oaks to host outdoor rock festival

YOUNGSTOWN — The first Pabstolutely Festival, an all-day event featuring 12 live bands, will be Sunday outdoors at the Royal Oaks, 924 Oak St., on the East Side. It’s an all-ages show, and admission is free.

Promoter Mark Calvaruso said half of the beer sales will benefit Purple Cat, a social service agency that helps the mentally handicapped.

One goal of the street festival, said Calvaruso, is to prove that people will go anywhere — not just downtown Youngstown — for a free rock festival.

Lansing Street will be closed during the festival, which begins at noon.

Music will begin at 12:30 p.m. on an outdoor stage. Acts will range from punk to metal, and indie to rockabilly, and include (in order of performance) ThunderRider, The Pleb, The Sweet Ones (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Turbo Lovers, Posture Coach, The Suede Brothers (Cleveland), User Sets Mode (Akron), Guitar Bomb (Brooklyn, N.Y.), The Cheats (Pittsburgh), Rebreather, Album and Bob’s Country Bunker.

Sponsors are Artistic Dermagraphics (who will raffle off a $200 tattoo and a $40 piercing), Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, Tri-County Distributing, Small Planet Comics, Stomping Grounds skate park, Touch the Moon Candy Saloon, and CD-93’s Home Grown Show.