Mansfield Music Fest attracts hardcore acts from across Ohio

MANSFIELD — Ellis Byrd stood away from the mosh pit towards the back of the crowd as the thump of the bass and intense scream of vocals echoed off the hills.

At 57, Byrd was older than the average attendee at Mansfield Music Fest, but that didn’t mean he was any less engaged.

“Us old punk rockers, we don’t get in there because we’ll get knocked out,” he said with a smile. “These guys go crazy.”

Byrd grew up in Swindon, England, during what he calls the original punk rock era. He later moved to California, where he enjoyed an active music scene.

It’s something he’s been missing since moving to the Mansfield area two years ago.

“When I saw this was coming up, I thought it would be the sort of pub-type bands that you normally get to see around this area — come to find out it was completely different,” he said. “This is very much an alternative-type scene that we get a lot in California.”

Byrd described the vibe as authentic punk rock — high energy and unapologetic.

“It’s just nice to come out and see all these young people that don’t normally fit in society here — they look different, they act slightly different, their musical tastes are completely different — to come out and just be themselves,” he said.

“I think society nowadays, especially in the last few years, has triggered a lot of anger in people and this is a good way for those people to release that frustration. I imagine at the end of the night, all these people will go home and be completely exhausted and just smiling all over.”

It’s all about the sound

The opening night of Mansfield Music Fest attracted approximately 200 attendees. Friday’s performers included local bands like Ill Will, The Gerds, Dutch Oven, The Touch, NEWERACAM and Divebomb.

While the majority of Friday’s bands were hardcore or punk outfits, Saturday will feature some metal, hip hop and indie music.

The event also boasted two stages and half a dozen arts and clothing vendors.

Acathla Clothing of Canton has set up shop at Inkcarceration in years past, but made its Mansfield Music Fest debut this year.

Vendor Cassandra Linder said she enjoyed the pace and the people.

“You really get an opportunity to stop and have actual conversations with people,” she said. “Everybody’s been super welcoming. The metal community, they treat each other well.”

The two-day event, with two stages and bands from across the state, is a far cry from its humble origins behind a local drummer’s house in 2009.

Festival organizer Austin Moore still remembers performing at Mansfield Music Fest during its backyard days. He’s been involved ever since.

Moore said it’s been exciting to watch the festival’s growth, but the heart of it will always be the local music scene.

“In years past, it was always kind of just a Mansfield showcase of bands,” he said. “This year, there’s way more out-of-town bands playing, but there’s still a good core group of Mansfield bands, Mansfield vendors and Mansfield businesses that are involved.”

“As much as I want to continue to grow this, I don’t want to lose the Mansfield part of it.”

Moore’s Divebomb bandmate Jake Henry said events like Mansfield Music Fest are a unique opportunity for local bands and their audiences.

“It means a lot really,” Henry said. “It’s like a good chance for us to get to play with a lot of bands that we don’t play with often.

“It’s a great place for all of these bands’ fan bases to come in and maybe find a new band that they like.”

Moore said one sign the festival will continue to grow is the burgeoning community of people willing to help out behind the scenes.

“The first couple of years I had it here, I literally did everything but sound,” he said. “It was crazy. It was a mess. But now I have like a whole team of people that are like, ‘I want to be involved in this every year.'”

Mansfield Music Fest will continue Saturday with performances by Mettal Mafia, ExitWounds, The Afrxnts, 7th Advent Unicorn, Sink the Ship, Birds Cage, Oddepoxy, Vaundoom and Middling. For more information, visit the Mansfield Music Fest Facebook page.