This weekend at DKE, a spectacle unlike anything recently seen at Wes (and we know our spectacles) will go down: nine punk bands on two stages with no breaks. The inaugural PNK festival is the brainchild of Scott Infusino ’12 and Rayna Edwards ’10 (a member of one of the headlining bands, The Creeps), who each conceived the idea of throwing a punk fest independently before joining forces to help organize Saturday night’s event. Intrigued by the idea of this landmark performance, The Argus sought out Edwards for more information about the event.

Argus: How did the idea for this festival originate?

Rayna Edwards: This show originated because of the belief that the punk scene at Wes was dying out. Many of Wes’s current punk bands (The Creeps and Scroats, to name a couple) are graduating this year, and we were concerned that there wouldn’t be support for this type of music on campus next year. This show is serving as a method to jumpstart the scene, while making this type of music more accessible to the larger Wesleyan community. It was also just a ridiculous joke that turned serious when people starting really wanting in.

A: Most of these bands are from Wes. How did the two that are from Brown and Hartford become involved?

RE: I wanted this to be primarily a Wes show for the aforementioned reasons. But, variety is the spice of life and both these bands requested to be included, they are pretty fun and will fit well with the rest of the set. We found The Inclined Plane through Ben Seretan ’10, who knows them. The other band, Circle Side Out, includes the brother of Jeff Rovinelli ’10. There should be more networking with local musicians. Smash the bubble, and such.

A: What can we expect from the shows on Saturday?

RE: You can expect a ridiculous mix of people, most of whom don’t know what the hell they are getting into, but are going to leave the show enlightened, musically sexed up, and delighted with the state of affairs. If you want more specific, I would guess a good mixture of frat bros, hipster punks, and everything Wes has in between. Not to mention some sweet tunes.

A: If everything goes well, can we expect this type of festival again next year? Perhaps with a different genre?

RE: I would hope there will be more festivals like this to come. Expanding the type of music performed at Wes is really quite crucial. Large festivals like this allow for a wider range of musicians to perform. It also provides a showcase for smaller bands and new bands on campus to have a place to play without having to organize their own shows. It would be great if another one happens next year. I’d be down.

A: Is there anything else about the process of setting up the festival or the festival itself that you think would be interesting for the article or want people to know?

RE: The DKE bros are great. They are really nice guys and have been so helpful in making this happen. You should kiss one if you see one.