With some of the biggest names in the industry rolling through town on a rain-soaked weekend in Allston, Boston Calling’s Orange Stage has once again proven to be an all-out beacon of locally-sourced talent, buzzing excitement. And thanks to the dominant pop-punk rizz of longtime scene titans Rebuilder, we were also treated to some well-placed disdain for New Jersey and “hug pits.”
For vocalist and guitarist Sal Ellington, a familiar face synonymous with the local scene and a longtime mainstay at merch tables all over the city, the opportunity to further his band’s reach by delivering hard-nosed New England punk drenched in both sweetness and sadness is not exactly taken lightly. Not only due to the fact that he and his bandmates are playing for hordes of prospective new fans from out of town as they rep their home turf with pride and regionally telltale snark, but also because of the sheer magnitude of artistry and musical force that surrounds them with bands like Future Teens, Megan From Work, Battlemode, and Pinklids filling out the bill around them.
We had a chance to sit down with Ellington shortly before the band took the stage by storm on Saturday, to chat about the preparation for a milestone moment such as this, soaking in the emo and pop punk nostalgia of the day à la Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavigne, and how the locally culinary delights offered on the grounds this weekend are just as integral, in some ways at least, to the identity of the city as the music blasting through the speakers all over the Harvard Athletic Complex. Check it out.
Jason Greenough: As a Boston-bred band, what does it mean for you to be playing Boston Calling, and how do you prepare for a moment like this?
Sal Ellington: You know, I see a lot of bands prepare for this moment. Of course, there are rehearsals, but there are a lot of things you think about when you’re playing something like Boston Calling. I’m excited to play Boston Calling just because I feel like a festival that is this big with these huge, nationally headlining bands, it’s important to have this representation from Boston. We’re from here, but also the other bands that are on this bill like Future Teens, Megan From Work is from New Hampshire, but that’s close enough.
I can’t speak for the other bands, but for us, we’ve been a band for awhile, so we know the show we do. We know the show we like to put on. I don’t think we go up on stage, and try to be something we’re not. People have liked us up until now [laughs], and we were asked us to do this, and I can only imagine they asked because they like the Rebuilder show. They want a Rebuilder show, so we’re going to come through and give them a Rebuilder show.
With such a singable catalog, which songs are you looking forward to most about playing for your audience?
“Get Up,” is always fun to play, and it’s a fan favorite. We always play “Le Grand Fromage,” the “New Jersey” song in our set. We play it every set, but for me, it never gets old because I think watching a crowd sing “anything is better than New Jersey” just fills up my whole heart as a Bostonian. The best thing was getting that song in Clerks III. That really kind of redeemed us with our New Jersey fans, and getting new fans from New Jersey.
What artists have you enjoyed the most this weekend, and which artists are you looking forward to seeing?
I saw Megan From Work and Future Teens, and thought they were both awesome. I had never seen Battlemode before, and it was so much fun to see that. That’s what I kind of do with festivals, where I just go to a stage where I don’t know any of the bands. With this weekend, I’m new to Pinklids and sidebody, and I’m psyched to watch them. Getting to watch something you don’t know is really fun, but then you have bands like Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavigne playing, and that’s just awesome.
Any particular songs you’re especially hoping to hear live?
With bands like Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavigne, you have to imagine they’re playing the hits. With Avril, “Sk8r Boi” has to happen. I feel like a full-on riot would happen if it didn’t. I also want to hear Fall Out Boy play “Sugar, We’re Goin Down,” then I’m probably going to grab a burrito and call it a day.
Any other elements of the weekend that have stood out to you in terms of the non-music experience?
Looking at the food vendor lineup, I feel like with other festivals, you just see a lot of regular hot dog cart, pretzel cart, fries cart. Very nondescript companies. But here, you don’t get that. The names I see, I know there’s a brick and mortar on Comm. Ave. that I’ve wanted to try out. I’ve had so many late-night stops at El Jefe’s [Taqueria], and Chicken N’ Rice Guys are a hit. It’s cool, because a lot of people that aren’t from here are coming to this festival and seeing these places, and they get to try them. I just think that aspect of it is really cool to think about.
Keep it locked to Vanyaland for all our continuing coverage throughout the weekend.