> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Strummer Fest rocks Dogtown - URL: https://www.smdp.com/strummer-fest-rocks-dogtown/ - Published: 2007-08-30T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T02:44:24.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import pany that organizes the event. Jaurigui came up with the concept for Summer Strummer when he attended KROQ’s Inland Invasion music festival in Orange County about five years ago. It was the year that the Sex Pistols reunited, he said, and other new school bands like Offspring played. Jaurigui noticed an eccentric mix of older, punk and rockabilly parents with their new school music kids. “These parents were bringing their children to show them the music they loved as kids,” he said. “It was like they were passing the torch on.” Jaurigui, who had always been disappointed by the lack of a music scene on the Westside, decided a smaller-scale event was in order for the city of Santa Monica. “We were going for an old school festival vibe, like a mini-Coachella, but street fair-style,” said Jaurigui. “That’s why Bergamot Station is the perfect venue. It’s totally concert friendly and has this street fair feel, but it’s really self-contained.” Late-night television personality Carson Daly, who hosts “Last Call” on NBC, will emcee the event, which features four stages showcasing different genres of music — from singer-songwrit-ers like Brett Dennen to the Americana/soul bands Charlie and the Valentine Killers and Augustana, to punk rockers Rezurex. Santa Monica-based groups Cannon and Rocket will also take to the stage. A Barnes & Noble artist of the year, Jeremy Fisher is one of the up-and-coming soft rock performers at the event. “It’s my favorite time of the year to be playing shows,” said Fisher, who calls his sound a modern-vintage fusion that harkens back to Paul Simon’s work. “It gets dark a little bit earlier and there’s not the extreme heat of mid-summer, but it’s the perfect time for summer-y music events.” Fisher says he is most excited to check out the other bands that are playing Summer Strummer “When you’re out there on the road all the time, festivals are like gold,” said Fisher, “because you make new friends and run into old ones.” Summer Strummer also features a pro skateboard demonstration with legends like Lance Mountain, Chad Muska and Steve Olson. “Santa Monica is Dogtown and Dogtown is the original skateboard scene where it all blew up in the 1970s,” said Jaurigui. “As a kid, I thought of it as skateboard land! “And yet today, there are a bunch of skate stores and a few skate parks, but there’s no skate community.” Jaurigui believes punk rock and skate-boarding go hand in hand, as they share a renegade vibe, and wanted to do an event that combined the two. “When I was a kid, I skated on half-pipes and played guitar; that was the coolest thing you could possibly do,” he said. One of the skaters in the expo is Duane Peters, an old school Orange County skater who also leads the punk band Gunfight. “I heard about the festival,” said Peters, “and, obviously, I’m big into music and skating, and anything with the name Strummer in it I want to check out.” Peters, who says he has attended many similar festivals in Europe, thinks this type of event is unique in the United States and should continue to gain popularity. “Mixing skating up with rock and roll — that’s what I’m all about!” he said. Admission to Summer Strummer, which will be held from noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday, is $40 general admission and $60 VIP. A portion of VIP ticket sales benefits the VH1 Save the Music Foundation and the Los Angeles Ballet. All ages are admitted to the festival. “Save the Music is really the perfect sponsor,” said Jaurigui, “because we all know there are no music classes in school anymore, which means there’s nothing giving kids the awareness that you can pick up your guitar and learn how to play, and be excited about bands instead of Playstation.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/083007-17_02.jpg) VARIETY PACK: The Summer Strummer Festival will combine elements from punk rock, skate-boarding culture and all things alternative at Bergamot Station this weekend. (Photo: Photos courtesy Summer Strummer Festival) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 30, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/083007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)