Reunion of pals: Debauch-a-Reno celebrates native music and brings punk bands to Reno for the primary time
5 min read
Sticker Man and Slovenly Recordings have been serving the Reno music scene for many years.
Sticker Man, since 1993, has been providing high-quality, reasonably priced sticker printing for bands, manufacturers and extra. Slovenly Recordings, since 2002, has been a label for Reno bands and past. Pete Menchetti is the person behind each of those endeavors, and each few years, he hosts an enormous competition in Reno, each celebrating the native scene and bringing in touring acts which have been part of his corporations.
Debauch-a-Reno returns in 2023 with two occasions. Cypress Reno and the Wingfield Park Amphitheater will host the principle weekend, taking place Friday, June 16, by way of Sunday, June 18. Then on Friday, July 14, the enjoyable strikes to Virginia Metropolis, particularly Piper’s Opera Home. On the June weekend, bands together with the Mummies and the Zeros will workforce up with native bands like Pussy Velour for a weekend crammed with punk, storage, rock ’n’ roll and extra.
“The primary time we did Debauch-a-Reno was the primary time I did a competition in Reno,” Menchetti mentioned throughout a latest Zoom interview. “It was to have fun the fifteenth anniversary of Sticker Man, the sticker-printing firm that we began again in 1993. We had a extremely good time doing that; that was in 2008. Simply six months later, I did it once more. 5 years later, I spotted the twentieth anniversary was arising, so we did one other Debauch-a-Reno.”
Menchetti has stored himself busy in between Debauch-a-Reno occasions. He additionally runs the We’re Loud Fest, which takes place everywhere in the world.
“We’ve achieved it in a bunch of various nations, from Vietnam, to Istanbul, to Italy, to Greece, to Puerto Rico, to Mexico—and proper now, we’re in The Gambia, Africa, form of exploring for a potential late-2024 version down right here on this continent,” Menchetti mentioned. “It was really form of good to have 2020 fully off, after which we have been again in 2021 with an version in Mexico, in Puerto Escondido. We undoubtedly waited; we didn’t rush again into it, and we undoubtedly gave the pandemic the time that it wanted.
Quite a bit has modified in Reno for the reason that final Debauch-a-Reno 4 years in the past.
“Motels value twice what they did in 2019, which is insane for us, however we’re coping with it the very best we will,” Menchetti mentioned. “Fortunately, we now have a extremely nice crop of native bands to select from proper now—extra native bands that I bear in mind liking in a extremely very long time. We now have seven native bands on the invoice, and a few of these bands are going to be internet hosting a few of the out-of-town bands. The inflated value of accommodations isn’t going to harm us too badly; it simply hurts the people who find themselves coming from different cities, however we is perhaps setting one thing up for them as properly, and connecting them with locals who’ve couches to crash on and stuff like that.”
In 2018, Debauch-a-Reno introduced legendary music act The Mummies to Reno for the primary time. The Mummies are returning this yr, alongside different punk bands who could by no means make it to the realm in any other case.
“The native crowd in Reno has seen all of the native bands earlier than, a number of occasions, so bringing them one thing new that they’re excited to see is necessary,” Menchetti mentioned. “It’s additionally necessary to carry individuals from different cities to Reno. For the final 25 years or no matter, I’ve been mainly on the highway. I’ve hardly lived in Reno since 2000, so it’s form of an enormous reunion of pals from all over in Reno, which makes it extra enjoyable. A few of them are prospects of the sticker firm, and a few of them are bands from the file label.”
Menchetti mentioned bands on tour typically skip Reno because of the prospect of wintry climate.
“I received into music actually younger and simply all the time wished to be concerned in it. I performed in a few bands, however I spotted that I wasn’t actually that good at it.”
Pete Menchetti
“It’s fairly dangerous to plan a cease in Reno anyplace exterior of the months of June by way of August, since you by no means know when there’s going to be lots of snow within the mountains,” he mentioned. “When you’re on tour in an enormous previous van, you don’t need to get caught having to drive by way of that stuff. After our 2018 occasion, a band from France who had performed our occasion, which was in April, was leaving and received in an accident within the snow on the way in which out.”
Sticker Man has been an enormous assist for bands attempting to get merchandise with out breaking the financial institution; even at the moment, bands can get 250 stickers for round $20.
“I mainly dreamt up the sticker firm whereas working at a automobile wash,” Menchetti mentioned. “I labored at pizza locations, and at a automobile wash once I was a youngster, and I didn’t actually need to hold working for different individuals the remainder of my life. I believe I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit since I used to be fairly younger. Even in elementary college, I used to be promoting sweet bars. I received into music actually younger and simply all the time wished to be concerned in it. I performed in a few bands, however I spotted that I wasn’t actually that good at it. I had lots of enjoyable doing it, and that’s what’s most necessary, however I believe my strengths are extra in organizing and different stuff like that, so I simply determined to dedicate myself to that, to assist out bands that I like.
“Proper now, there are actually lots of nice Reno bands. I don’t know if the competition had one thing to do with that, however I’d be completely satisfied if it did.”
Debauch-a-Reno takes place beginning at 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18, on the Wingfield Park Amphitheater, 2 S. Arlington Ave., in Reno. The opening-night occasion takes place at 8 p.m., Friday, June 16, at Cypress Reno, 761 S. Virginia St. The Virginia Metropolis portion takes place at 8 p.m., Friday, July 14, at Piper’s Opera Home, 12 B St. Tickets begin at $72.45. For tickets or extra data, go to sloven.ly/reno.
