Tomfest
Encyclopedia
TOMfest was an annual Christian music festival
held in Camas, WA, USA.
TOMfest was a Christian
indie and alternative music festival
founded in 1995. Showcasing established and up-and-coming Christian bands, TOMfest presented an alternative to secular music festivals and provided a venue for Christian worship
. Through the years TOMfest was noted for featuring eclectic genres and diverse bands that were often underrepresented at mainstream festivals, including everything from hardcore and metal to zydeco and folk.
, indie
, punk rock
, hardcore
, ska
, metal
and electronica
bands. Notable appearances included performances by P.O.D.
, MxPx
, Danielson Famile
, Pedro the Lion
, Damien Jurado
, Zao
, Starflyer 59
, Project 86
, Joy Electric
, Raft of Dead Monkeys
, Saviour Machine
, Tourniquet
, Poor Old Lu
, Living Sacrifice
, Michael Knott
, The Blamed
, Soul-Junk
, Havalina Rail Co, Squad Five-O
and TOMfest founder Mikee Bridges' band Tragedy Ann.
In 1999, TOMfest also held festivals in Denver, CO(Castle Rock, CO), and Dallas, TX(Kaufman, Texas
). Bands in Denver included B-N-B All-stars, Cloud 2 Ground, Echoing Green
, Fold Zandura
, Joy Electric, Rackets and Drapes, Squad Five-O and Viva Voce
.
For a time, the name was changed to Portico Fest, but was then changed back to TOMfest.
The "TOM" in TOMfest stands for "The Other Music".
In 2005, TOMfest shifted its date & location from Stevenson on Labor Day weekend to Camas Washington earlier in August.
In January 2010 Mikee Bridges posted a letter on the TOMFest website saying they were closing down, with a possible future move to California.
Christian music festival
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music...
held in Camas, WA, USA.
TOMfest was a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
indie and alternative music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
founded in 1995. Showcasing established and up-and-coming Christian bands, TOMfest presented an alternative to secular music festivals and provided a venue for Christian worship
Christian worship
In Christianity, worship is adoration and contemplation of God.-Overview:Throughout most of Christianity's history, corporate Christian worship has been primarily liturgical, characterized by prayers and hymns, with texts rooted in, or closely related to, the Scripture, particularly the Psalter;...
. Through the years TOMfest was noted for featuring eclectic genres and diverse bands that were often underrepresented at mainstream festivals, including everything from hardcore and metal to zydeco and folk.
Notable Appearances
Previously held in Stevenson, WA, TOMfest was known for featuring underground Christian rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, hardcore
Christian hardcore
Christian hardcore refers to metalcore and hardcore punk bands that promote Christian beliefs. How these bands promote Christianity, and to what extent, varies between bands...
, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
bands. Notable appearances included performances by P.O.D.
P.O.D.
Payable on Death is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. Their Christian faith is an important part of their music.They have released seven studio albums and...
, MxPx
MxPx
MxPx is a pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington with connections to the Christian punk scene. The band has recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles....
, Danielson Famile
Danielson Famile
Danielson is an American Rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates...
, Pedro the Lion
Pedro the Lion
Pedro the Lion was an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. Singer-songwriter David Bazan formed the band in 1995 and represented its main creative force, backed by a varying rotation of collaborating musicians. T. W. Walsh is considered to be the sole official band member besides Bazan. In...
, Damien Jurado
Damien Jurado
Damien Jurado is an American indie rock singer/songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Over the years he has released albums on many labels; today, his primary label is Secretly Canadian.-Music career:...
, Zao
Zao (band)
Zao is a metalcore band from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and one of the founding metalcore groups. Founded in 1993 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Zao has hosted several musicians and endured numerous roster changes to the point where no original members remain...
, Starflyer 59
Starflyer 59
Starflyer 59 is an alternative rock band from Riverside, California that was founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, brother of Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric. While Jason Martin has written nearly all of Starflyer 59's songs, the band has included a number of different musicians over the years, including...
, Project 86
Project 86
Project 86 is an American Christian rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1996. The line-up consists of bassist Steven Dail, vocalist and songwriter Andrew Schwab, and guitarist Randy Torres. The band has released seven studio albums, which have collectively sold over 500,000 units...
, Joy Electric
Joy Electric
Joy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synth pop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player...
, Raft of Dead Monkeys
Raft of Dead Monkeys
Raft of Dead Monkeys was a rock band from Seattle, WA, USA, known for their controversy within the Christian punk scene. Described as a hypothetical band mocking rock culture, their early stage shows consisted of vulgar lyrics, male strippers and bloody nurses...
, Saviour Machine
Saviour Machine
Saviour Machine is an American Christian metal band that formed in 1989. They have released five studio albums and two live albums on Frontline and subsequently on MCM Music, distributed through Massacre Records...
, Tourniquet
Tourniquet (band)
Tourniquet is a Christian thrash / heavy metal band that was formed in 1989 by Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are known for incorporating elements of thrash, neo-classical and progressive metal into their music...
, Poor Old Lu
Poor Old Lu
Poor Old Lu was a pioneering alternative Christian band based in the American Northwest. The band experimented with a variety of sounds and genres, particularly grunge, funk and psychedelic rock. The band consisted of Scott Hunter with the vocals, Jesse Sprinkle as the drummer for the band, Aaron...
, Living Sacrifice
Living Sacrifice
Living Sacrifice is a Christian heavy metal band that formed in September 1989 in Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. The band has released seven studio albums, out of which the first three were recorded under R.E.X. Records with their original vocalist Darren Johnson as a more thrash metal and death metal...
, Michael Knott
Michael Knott
Michael Knott is an American singer-songwriter and frontman for various bands, many of them Christian. He has released some 35 albums, including solo albums and with bands such as LSU and Cush....
, The Blamed
The Blamed
The Blamed is a christian punk band that is from California and Illinois that features Bryan Gray . The bands music is a mixture of hardcore punk, punk and metal.-Albums:-Members:*Jeremy Moffit*Mark Aceves...
, Soul-Junk
Soul-Junk
Soul-Junk is an experimental genre-hopping Christian rock / hip hop group from San Diego, California.-Background:The roots of Soul-Junk began in 1993 when Glen Galloway began experimenting while touring in Europe with his rock band Trumans Water...
, Havalina Rail Co, Squad Five-O
Squad Five-O
Before being signed, there was a demo released, titled: "Cop Rock Demo". This is a highly sought after recording, which included a track titled "Pair of Dice City"....
and TOMfest founder Mikee Bridges' band Tragedy Ann.
In 1999, TOMfest also held festivals in Denver, CO(Castle Rock, CO), and Dallas, TX(Kaufman, Texas
Kaufman, Texas
Kaufman is a city in Kaufman County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,490 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kaufman County.-Geography:Kaufman is located at ....
). Bands in Denver included B-N-B All-stars, Cloud 2 Ground, Echoing Green
Echoing green
For the electronic band, see The Echoing Green , for the poem see The Echoing GreenEchoing Green is a twenty year-old global non-profit organization operating in the area of early-stage social sector investing...
, Fold Zandura
Fold Zandura
Fold Zandura is an alternative rock band from California. They released four albums between 1995 and 1999 plus one white 7" vinyl. Each album was released under a different label. The two premier members also founded the industrial band Mortal. Their songs are "love songs and praise songs"...
, Joy Electric, Rackets and Drapes, Squad Five-O and Viva Voce
Viva Voce (band)
Viva Voce is an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed by Kevin Robinson and Anita Robinson. Their music draws on several influences including psychedelic rock, classic rock, folk and R&B.-History:...
.
For a time, the name was changed to Portico Fest, but was then changed back to TOMfest.
The "TOM" in TOMfest stands for "The Other Music".
Life of the Festival
Mikee Bridges founded TOMfest. Mikee Bridges led a following of people that met for local Christian events. Mikee decided to get every one out to go camping at his parents farm out in the rural area of Portland and eventually their gathering grew too big for that farm. That's when they started renting out the fairgrounds in Stevenson, Washington. In 2003, Mikee moved to California and resulting in when other people renting at the Stevenson Washington fairgrounds. Xfest NW sprung up in the absence of TOMfest and took place at the same location & time as the earlier TOMfests.In 2005, TOMfest shifted its date & location from Stevenson on Labor Day weekend to Camas Washington earlier in August.
In January 2010 Mikee Bridges posted a letter on the TOMFest website saying they were closing down, with a possible future move to California.