Flyover Fest: Hardcore in the Heartland

Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, hardcore has seemingly managed to find itself in a renaissance period. With an abundance of regional scenes and easier access to them thanks to the 24/7 interconnectedness of social media, as well as a newfound popularity within wider demographics (with bands such as Knocked Loose playing as high profile of events as Coachella and a Kardashian being spotted side stage at a Speed gig), hardcore is undoubtedly experiencing some changes amidst its rapid cultural resurgence.

At the heart of all of it, is the ever growing popularity around hardcore festivals that have developed almost cult-like fandoms similar to their pop and mainstream counterparts. Fests are now as much family reunions, viral memes, and fashion culture as they are set times, crews, and moshing. I chatted with Aaron Johnson and James Carroll, the founders of Flyover Fest, an annual hardcore happening in Tulsa, OK, as well as, “the state of the scene”, and their experiences in counter culture music communities over the years.
 

Aaron Johnson and James Carroll, the faces behind Flyover Fest

Could you please introduce yourselves and tell us a little about the fest, its history, and your roles in it for those who may not be familiar? 

Aaron Johnson: My name is Aaron, I promote the fest along with James. The fest has a strange history, it’s a combination of 2 different fests, Promcore, which was a long running 1 day local/regional fest, and Flyover which ran for two years with my buddy Duston as the promoter. I was getting a bit more serious with Promcore and Duston didn’t want to do Flyover anymore so I asked him if we could use the name. It ran under a different name for one year but we rebranded to Flyover last year.

James Carroll: My name is James and I’m one of the promoters of Flyover Fest. So, I knew about the fest under the Promcore name the first time I was aware of it. My old band Time and Pressure played it a few times and that’s how I came to know Aaron. I’ve been a promoter for quite a while so he’d bounce ideas off of me and we’d talk logistics occasionally, so there’s always been some contact regarding the fest. After the pandemic, he wanted to change the branding around so I came on board to help with art direction in 2022 and I was also at the fest that year helping with door and other random odds and ends. He asked me to officially help him book 2023 shortly after the fest and we’ve been working together on it ever since. 

A classic cliche, but who or what are you most excited for at Flyover Fest this year?

Aaron:  I’m always most excited for the Oklahoma bands that are playing, they always get a huge reaction and people put on for them. Aside from that I’m really excited to see Inclination and Incendiary, neither band have played Oklahoma before, which is always a goal for headliners.

James: I’ve been trying to book Weekend Nachos since 2015 so finally getting them on the fest was something I was really excited about. Aside from the bands playing, I think we’ve leveled up in terms of operation. Last year had some growing pains for both of us that I think helped us prepare for this year in terms of logistics and just making sure everything runs smoothly. I think the line up also speaks to the growth because we’re getting a lot of first-time-to-the-state bands that seem out of reach for an area like Oklahoma.

End It at Flyover Fest, by Jarrett Barnes

What about the fest has changed year to year? Do you feel as though there is a rising popularity around hardcore fests and shows as a whole? 

Aaron: The biggest change for me was learning to not be scared to book bigger bands. The first couple years I was playing it very safe and not over extending. But with James on board I’ve realized if we book a good lineup it’ll sell out. There is definitely a rising popularity around hardcore in the last few years, I’ll leave the debate about that being a good or bad thing to other people.

James: I think how we approach it has changed a great deal. We’re still a hardcore fest, but we try to approach it as seriously as we can with the resources we have. I think there is definitely an uptick in the amount of fests that are happening all over the country. There’s a lot of regionally focused events which I think are awesome but at the same time not everything has to be a fest. We’ve seen growth in the fest post-pandemic just like everyone else and I think it's great. It's allowed us to continue growing without a lot of risk which has been nice and has let us do some great things.

What are the biggest challenges around putting on a festival? Do you feel putting on a festival in a so-called “flyover state” has unique difficulties or benefits?

James: So, I live in Cleveland, Ohio which is 1,000 miles away, so that sometimes presents its own challenges but we’ve made it work the last two years. I think the biggest challenge is convincing bands to make the drive or flight to Tulsa. It’s so centrally located that it should be an easy sell but the airport is a pain in the ass to fly into and the drives make it difficult as well. I think also being a younger fest, we’re not taken as seriously as others but that's definitely changed in the last few years as we’ve continued to grow. I think one of the benefits is that people in the area are just truly appreciative that something happens there. Planting a flag in a place that is often overlooked is almost setting yourself up for disaster, but we use it as a source of motivation.

Aaron: Getting bands here for a one off is the most challenging, so much has to lineup around touring, working with agents, etc. Oklahoma has a really robust music culture, the people that go to shows really appreciate when bands do come through. Nobody ever outright says no when we ask them, which I think is a testament to how the fest has grown, but getting the ball rolling usually takes longer than if we were in an A market. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your time in hardcore or counterculture music scenes? What do you think has changed about the hardcore scene over the years and what has stayed the same?

James: I’m 35 and I’ve been going to punk/hardcore shows since I was about 12 so I’ve been around for a while and I’ve seen the ebbs and flows, but I think hardcore is at a really cool place right now. There’s a genuine love for what's new and current and I think that's really important. I have noticed a lack of going back and checking out older things and really immersing yourself in the history has kind of taken a backseat and that's fine, but I think people are missing out if they don’t go back and see where everything started.

Aaron: I’m 43 and got involved with punk/hardcore in around ‘98/’99 when I met some people who booked basement shows in Tulsa. Early 2000s was a wild time, a lot of bands would tour through here and the scene really picked up, but never like it is now. The entry to hardcore is so much easier now than it ever has been, social media plays a big part in that. I’ll agree with James, that the big difference is that a lot of people don’t have the knowledge of where this all came from and the bands that inspired their favorite bands. There’s a lot of history and lore that is cool to dig into if you stick around long enough.

What role do you think social media like Tiktok plays in hardcore? What do you think are the pros and cons? 

James: I think it definitely makes things more accessible but also compacts things so much that there’s a lack of understanding about where things came from and how they got to be the way they are, especially when it can be packaged up in a 30 second video. I think the accessibility of it is awesome and I love that it's reaching younger people again but I hate that there’s a version of people that are mad about that. The whole “they’ll be gone in two years” conversation is so shot and I hate to think that someone's time spent going to hardcore shows, even if it's a short time, wasn’t somewhat rewarding to them but that doesn’t mean it has to be their end-all-be-all in life like it is for others. I’ve had a lot of great experiences and I owe a lot of them to my involvement in this scene but if someone is around for a short time and leaves, that doesn’t cheapen my experiences.

Aaron: Yeah, entry and access is at an all time high. I don’t particularly care if people are super educated on all of it, I’d rather a room full of kids having fun than 10 dudes standing around. I like to see young people figure it out and start to contribute by booking shows or starting bands. If they are around for two years that’s fine, if they become lifers that’s great.

Twitching Tongues at Flyover Fest, by Heather Vaught

If you could book anyone on Flyover Fest, past or present, defunct or active, who would it be?

James: Youth of Today, 100%.

Aaron: Comeback Kid.

Any hints you can drop to us about plans for a Flyover Fest 2025?

James: We’ve already started reaching out to bands and if everything works out we’ll be touring a larger venue for 2025.

Aaron: Not regarding lineup, but we have some things in the works that will be massive if they pan out. Bigger venue next year though.

What have you been listening to lately? 

James: I’ve been listening to a lot of Bolt Thrower, Stereolab and Hank Williams Jr. recently. I really like the Chappell Roan record a lot too. New Firewalker LP has been in constant rotation since it came out as well, and I also love the new Drug Church LP.

Aaron: The new Drug Church record has been on repeat. Trapped Under Ice, Fiddlehead, Missing Link. Locally, Inside You and KILLJOY both put out new music recently that I’m really enjoying. 90s country is always on as well. 

Any predictions for the state of hardcore in coming years? Anyone or anything we should be keeping an eye on? 

James: I think things are in such a great place that hopefully it continues. I’m not even talking about growth with numbers but just the overall excitement about music. Everything on Delayed Gratification Records is great, so please pay attention to that label if you aren’t already. Heroes & Martyrs also has some really cool things coming up, as well as New Morality Zine. There’s literally every cool style of hardcore being played all at the same time right now so there’s something for everyone. Also, please listen to more Discharge.

Aaron: Not a prediction but I’m hoping for more variety and pulling from different influences. Things are great, local shows here are popping off and that’s how I gauge things. If you’re in a touring band hit up Mass Movement in Tulsa or Backroom Productions in OKC. I promise you’ll have a great time. 

Flyover Fest Flyer, by James Carroll