On September 7, Baltimore-based independent record label Shiny Boy Press hosted its third annual Shiny Fest, a hyper-local art and music festival designed to celebrate lesser-known artists, at Ottobar in Remington. This year, the bash was circus-themed, with guests sipping on Natty Bohs and sporting bright red clown noses as giant balloons flew.
Headlined by Australian-born punk rock group The Death Set, whose big break occurred in Baltimore some 19 years ago, the lively 10-hour event featured an outdoor market, shawarma eats, four upstairs DJ sets, and 13 live performances. With bands like Mowder Oyal playing everything from hardcore punk to free jazz on the downstairs stage and acts like Nina Gala serving up soft indie ballads, Shiny Fest embodied Baltimore’s kaleidoscopic musicscape.
Like Shiny Boy Press, which represents many independent artists, Collin Schnitker says they hoped that Shiny Fest would bring together various creators and artistic paths in Baltimore.
“Having this blend of scenes, it’s like a little melting pot,” said Shiny Boy co-founder Collin Schnitker, who created Shiny Fest two years ago along with his brother Walsh Kunkel and their friend Dan Gurley. Like Shiny Boy Press, which represents many independent artists, Schnitker says they hoped that Shiny Fest would bring together various creators and artistic paths in Baltimore.
Shiny Boy’s philosophy of championing underdogs — and decentering profit as the impetus of musical creation — is a tribute to the founders’ late friend Alex Lori, who was killed in 2020 in a hit-and-run collision.
Shiny Boy’s philosophy of championing underdogs — and decentering profit as the impetus of musical creation — is a tribute to their late friend Alex Lori, who was killed in 2020 in a hit-and-run collision.
“Alex was a realist,” Schnitker said. “He was big on experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of our whole artistic premise. He held us to a standard, that’s for sure. And he didn’t like to compromise much.”
Schnitker recalls a time when he and his ex-partner planned to market their own t-shirts. Lori hated this idea.
“Alex was very against that whole concept because it’s like, why would you take your friends’ money? Why would you try to capitalize on art? We’re definitely not capitalizing with the record label. The whole thing is putting our money into it to help other artists up. That was his mindset.”
The same outlook backs Shiny Fest, which organizers hoped would push musical boundaries to create community.
“We wanted to be able to put people in a room that wouldn’t normally meet and bring [artists] together regardless of what kind of music they make,” Schnitker said.
“We wanted to be able to put people in a room that wouldn’t normally meet and bring [artists] together regardless of what kind of music they make,” Schnitker said.
A touchstone for the city’s music revelers, Ottobar proved to be the perfect place to make that happen this year. Organizer Charles Thompson — aka notcharles,a Baltimore producer, engineer, songwriter, DJ, and musician — saw the two-story establishment, with stages on each level, as an ideal fit for Shiny Fest’s revolving door of talent.
“Last year, the bands were stationed in one area, so this time, I think spreading it out was a good move,” said Thompson, looking back on Shiny Fest’s last iteration at The Compound,an artist-run nonprofit, music venue, and conglomerate of studio and residential spaces meant for artists on Kirk Avenue.
“Some people just want to dance, and some of the bands aren’t the easiest to dance to. So we thought, ‘Why not put DJs upstairs and have people be able to come and just dance?'”
DJs Grufton, Matt Hurd, Jacq Jill, and Pangelica made magic happen on the upper level. Downstairs, Baltimore musician Kaleb Baerresen, aka Fuchsia Casual, and bands Holiday Video Star, Grudge, and Music Mouse took to the stage. The remaining performers, Herald, Eyas, Slot, Kaz, Sleeptalk, and Androgynous Bulge, rocked out on the floor. It was the perfect storm.
By splitting the acts up, “we were able to basically double the amount of bands we would have originally,” Thompson said, remarking on the even flow of energy throughout the night.
The chance to share the downstairs floor with clowns, mimes, and musicians was its own unique experience. The audience was awed as singer Eyas sat before them with a keyboard and guitar, her vocals flush with pure emotion. Small children roamed the space carrying wacky balloon animals in between sets as musicians filtered in and out with instruments. Later in the evening, Slot’s lead singer Abby Chapple, who began the band’s electrifying set with one huge primal scream, danced out into an audience of thrashing heads and dancing feet while carrying a megaphone.
Shiny Fest’s tight-knit, quirky atmosphere struck Sleeptalk member Jane-Harriet Glessner, a longtime fan of Ottobar and a friend of several artists on this year’s dynamic lineup.
“If you’re not here, you’re missing out,” said Glessner. “It’s [been] pretty sick.”
Schnitker, who called this year’s festival “a cross between a carnival and family barbeque,” would like to see it gain more traction in the coming years, allowing more artists to benefit from its inclusive platform. He thinks Lori would be satisfied with how far the event has come.
“I think he’d have a great time,” Schnitker said. “He’d definitely have a lot of opinions, and he’d probably do it better.”
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