Heavy Rebel Weekend

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The Heavy Rebel Weekender is the largest weekender on the East Coast of the United States (a weekender is usually a 3 day music festival over a holiday weekend). The Heavy Rebel Weekender takes place over the 4th of July holiday weekender in Winston-Salem, NC and is held at the historic Millenium Center in downtown Winston-Salem. The music schedule include such genres as rockabilly, psychobilly, honky tonk, punk, and traditional rock and roll. The schedule is usually 75-80 bands from primarily the East Coast of the United States with others from the Midwest, Canada, Australia, France, and England. The music takes place on three different stages in different portions of the Millennium Center with bands starting at 15 minute intervals.

Over the course of the weekend, there are other higlight events such as the car show, the art show at a nearby gallery, "Nanner Puddin'" eating contest which the participants must lap up as much as they can using no hands, the wet "wifebeater" contest, the upright bass "Slap Down", the Crossroads guitar contest, most beer in 60 seconds competition, and the Heavy Rebel Mud Wrestling challenge, complete with band in the background. Not to mention a full on entertainment extravaganza by "Adam the First Real Man" complete with burlesque troupe. The Heavy Rebel Weekender is the creation of Mike Martin, a musical promoter and ex-automotive shop owner and Dave Quick, a preeminant North Carolina band leader and musical promoter. Since it conception the HRW has only grown in size and popularity with each passing year and is currently sponsored by Pabst Brewing Compnay and Magic Hat Brewery.

Often compared to the Viva Las Vegas weekender attended by patrons of modern retro preference, Heavy Rebel Weekender differs in that it's not as much a throwback to yesteryear, but more to the salt of the Earth variety in that all forms of various subculture can be found from greasers to punks, psychobillies, skinheads (of the non-racist variety), cowboys, and even your everyday avid lover of music that fits into no category. As well as a myriad of different vendors offering everything from hair grease (pomade), customized clothing and accessories, to the actual merchandising table where you can find discs, shirts, or even beer koozies of the bands that are performing.

Some of the bands that have performed:

Johnny Knox & Hi-Test (GA)

Nekkid (GA)

Lust (GA)

Straight 8's (NC)

Lords of the Highway (OH)

Edsel 500 NC)

Tombstone Brawlers

Tremors (NC)

Sasquatch and the Sickabillies (RI)

Pistol Whippers (WV)

Speed Crazy (NJ)

Jerry King & the Rivertown Ramblers (OH)

G-String (FRANCE)

Buzzards (NY)

Hearts & Daggers

Gojira-X (VA)

Rocket 88 (FL)

Deviltones (VA)

Hick’ry Hawkins

Kung Flude (NC/PA)

American Zero (NC)

Octane Saints (VA)

The Defilers (SC)

Seth Kess and the Black Market Band (NY)

Polecat Boogie Revival (NC)

Troubleman

Sin City Revival

Reverend D-Ray and the Shockers

Bloodshot Bill (CANADA)

Jimmy & the Teasers (NC)

Spinns (NC)

The Bo-Stevens (NC)

Billy Joe Winghead (OK)

Lugosia's Morphine (PA)

DQ(NC)

Psychocharger (NY)

The Kings of Nuthin' (MA)

Thee Merry Widows (CA)

Stunt Doubles (NC)

7 Shot Screamers (MO)

Rhoades D€™Ablo & the Devil’s Right Hand

Zippo Raid (MA)

Cheats (PA)

Blatant Finger (OH)

Wafer Thin (NC)

Ramonas (NC)

Butchers (PA)

Rounders (VA)

Truckstop Preachers (SC)

Red Hot Poker Dots (AUSTRALIA)

Morgan Geer (OR)

Flamin’ Locos (AUSTRALIA)

Rebel Son (NC)

Sunday Valley

Blind Pharaohs (NY)

Gravy Boat (TX)

Junkrod Joe and the Cadillac Hearse (MD)

White Devil (NY)

Jem Crossland & the Hypertonics (NC)

Cletis & the City Cousins (GA)