First Vexfest, now Roxfest

BoomBox is the type of band that is best appreciated in a festival setting.

And it was an inspired piece of booking that brought the jamming synth-guitar duo from Alabama to Vexfest on Sunday night.

Not surprisingly, it was Jimmy DeCapua of local jam-fest geniuses Jones For Revival who turned on Vexfest organizers to BoomBox.

Jason Tibolla, a key organizer of the music festival, said his team caught BoomBox at Barley’s Pub twice over the past three years and had been captivated ever since. “We wanted to end the show a bit differently this year, so we specifically sought them out to headline the outside Phelps Street stage.”

BoomBox layers electric guitar over waves of electronica, resulting in trippy jams that hit the ear with infectious perky-pop accessibility. They fit in perfectly with the late-night Vexfest vibe.

The annual event in downtown Youngstown suffered through a couple of afternoon downpours, which put a damper on attendance. But the skies cleared in the evening, and the cool night air mellowed things out.

For a free event of its size and location, Vexfest was, as usual, mostly trouble-free — but not totally. Downtown 36 cleared out in a hurry during a set by hard-core act Aldous when someone set off some pepper spray. Some folks were rubbing their eyes, but no one was injured and it was no big deal. The room was quickly cleaned, and bands stayed mostly on schedule.

“We always have a few little episodes that need handled, but overall it’s a very fun and peaceful event,” said Tibolla.

The addition of Old Precinct as a fifth stage also was a hit. The bar, set off from the main body of the festival by a half-block, had just opened the storefront room next to it, where it erected a stage with its back to the street. An entranceway at the rear connected both rooms.

FOURTH ANNUAL ROXFEST IS SET AT BUFFALO HOLLOW

Roxfest, which calls itself the fastest-growing music festival in the area, will arise for the fourth year Saturday at Buffalo Hollow in a rural area of southern Mahoning County.

The daylong event will feature 13 bands, food and beer sales, merchandise vendors and overnight camping, all for $10 if purchased in advance.

Roxanne Johnson of the band Skull’Rz Bane spearheads the mostly metal festival, which will be hosted by Jay Evans of Rookeryradio.com, the Internet station at Youngstown State University.

What started out as a birthday bash for Johnson has blossomed into something much bigger. In fact, Johnson said the festival will expand to a full weekend next year. She had about 60 bands that wanted to play it this year.

She expects about 1,500 to attend Saturday. Headlining the event are Dead II Me, N.O.T.E. and Skull’Rz Bane. Gates open at 10 a.m.

A Roxfest pre-party will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at Buffalo Hollow.

The Hollow is an amphitheater with a big stage at 51367 Dickson Road, Petersburg. From U.S. Route 224 in Poland, take state Route 170 and follow the Roxfest signs. The site is three miles north of state Route 14.

Tickets are available at Bareknuckle Tattoo, 1726 S. Raccoon Road, Austintown; The Drum Smith, 576 Youngstown-Poland Road, Struthers; Jtees, 5204 Southern Blvd., Boardman; and O.T. Beight and Sons, 505 state Route 170, East Palestine; and online at roxfest@skullrzbane.com through PAYPAL.

Tickets also will be sold at the gate for $12.

Here’s the festival lineup:

Chapless Larry, noon; Dakota Spells Disaster, 12:45 p.m.; OTiS, 1:30 p.m.; Shame, 2:15 p.m.; MeteorFall, 3:15 p.m.; Chaos Reigns, 4:15 p.m.; Just One Entity, 5:15 p.m.; Metalourd, 6:15 p.m.; One Bad Mother, 7:15 p.m.; Dead II Me, 8:15 p.m.; N.O.T.E., 9:15 p.m.; Skull’Rz Bane, 10:15 p.m., DisgraceD, 11:15 p.m.