For the first time ever, part of the Sunset Strip was closed, and no, a California quake wasn’t the cause. This weekend the Sunset Strip Music Festival took the music out of the clubs and into the street, and LA Music Blog was on the scene for all of Saturday’s festivities.

Los Angeles natives Fishbone kicked off the show on the East stage with their genre-blending fusion of rock/ska/punk/funk. The crowd’s boisterous approval of both the group’s music and their “Fuck Racism” slogan made me hopeful for the future of our society. How many bands can you name that make you want to mosh with and hug your fellow man at the same time?

LA Music Blog caught up with Fishbone at the Viper Room after their set, and they answered a few questions for our readers.

After making music for three decades now, what advice do you have for bands that would hope to have the same longevity?

Well, just basically have love and integrity for your music and what you do. If you love what you do, which is your art and your music, then that’s what you do. If you are a true artist and musician and lyricist, it runs through your blood. If that’s what you do in life, then that’s what you do. That’s how we have been doing it.

How did you get involved with the Sunset Strip Music Festival?

We have put in work at almost all the clubs involved in this thing. We had a whole lot of magic here at the Viper Room, a whole lot of magic at the Key Club, a whole lot of magic at the Whiskey, a whole lot of magic at the House of Blues…did I miss somebody? The Roxy is great too.

I hate to force you to choose, but do you have a favorite LA venue?

Out of all of these clubs, mine was the On Club. That was around in the early ‘80s. It’s a transvestite bar now, but back in the day, it was one of the most hoppin’ ska joints ever.

Are there any artists here you guys are excited to see?

I never saw Ozzy Osbourne. I can name a ton of these bands because we are remotely related in some kind of way to a gang of them, but really Ozzy Osbourne I have never seen before, and I am determined to and excited to see him.

The next band we caught was Unwritten Law, a personal favorite of mine. This was the third time I’ve caught the punk rockers live, and nearly a decade after my first experience with the band, they have only bettered with age. Frontman Scott Russo was all over the stage and treated the ladies in the crowd (and I’m sure some of the dudes) to some very suggestive hip shaking that might have caused his already low-slung burgundy jeans to fall down had he not been wearing a belt. Darn belts. The group played several older favorites, including “Teenage Suicide,” “Seein’ Red,” and “Up All Night” in addition to some new tracks from their album due out in January.

Next we worked our way over to the West stage where California natives the Donnas were playing to a large and very enthusiastic crowd. These ladies proved yet again that rocking out isn’t reserved for the boys. Too bad they’re one of a kind. They brought a much-needed female presence to the festival’s main stages.

The Kottonmouth Kings took over the East Stage after Unwritten Law, and their SMOKIN’ set was likely the HIGHlight of the festival for many fans. I watched the performance from the perfect sPOT and…OK, that one was a stretch. The whole set was about weed, and everyone loved it. Enjoy the photos.

The guys from reggae/rock band Pepper played on the West Stage during one of the hottest parts of the afternoon and decided to beat the heat by getting half naked. If I were running around on stage as much as they were, I’d probably get tackled by security. Silly reader, they don’t let bloggers on the stage. Although it would have been nice to be a little closer to the band.

The Grammy-nominated foursome Shiny Toy Guns were definitely the most fashion-forward of the acts we saw at the festival, and they still managed to put on a performance that had my ears paying more attention than my eyes. Their blend of electronica and rock was energizing, and their look had me reconsidering my long-held stance on purple spandex.

The next group we saw perform was one that brought be back to my junior high school days: KORN. Fifteen years after the release of their debut album, the group is still whipping crowds into a furious frenzy. I even saw one audience member climb a tree in order to secure a better vantage point from which to watch the Grammy-winning metal heads. Now that is a dedicated fan.

All day my mind kept returning to the upcoming Shwayze performance, and it wasn’t just because I’m a big fan of the group’s self-titled debut album. Cisco Adler, the not-Shwayze half of the duo, was EVERYWHERE during the festival. It was like I had a stalker. I smell some of that wacky tobacky during Unwritten Law’s performance and who walks by? Cisco Adler (it could have been a coincidence). I stop in the Viper Room to get a drink and who walks in with a hot chick on his arm? Cisco Adler. I look up during Shwayze’s set and who do I see? Cisco Ad…oh, right. It makes sense that he would be on the stage.

The performance was one of the best and most interactive of the festival. The crowd sang along to the group’s hits and did their best to literally tear the clothes off of rapper Shwayze when he leaned into the audience. More free stuff was passed into the crowd during this performance than any other. Posters, CDs, flyers…you name it, Shwayze’s people were giving it away. They even treated us to an opening act, allowing the Cold Flamez to warm up the crowd. After all the build up for this performance, I was happy to see the group did not disappoint.

Cold Flamez

Shwayze

As is the case with any festival, the sun goes down, the headliner goes on, and what a headliner the SSMF had: Ozzy Osbourne. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what kind of performance he put on. Amazing, loud, epic…take your pick of adjectives. Unfortunately, the Oz man is a hard one to get near, as you can tell from the photos. I did, however, get within touching distance of his wife Sharron when she walked by me during Korn’s performance. I didn’t actually touch her though. Although in retrospect, she did look really huggable.

And finally, for those of you who couldn’t make it to the music this weekend, I have a bit of the music to bring to you. The headliners of the Roxy after party, Super Mash Brothers, took some time before their performance to answer a few questions for LA Music Blog and to let our readers know where they can download the duo’s two super-awesome mixtapes FOR FREE. That’s right, readers. Don’t say I didn’t bring anything back from the festival for you.

How did you get involved with the Sunset Strip Music Festival?

We played the Roxy in July for our second album release, and we ended up selling the place out, which we were kind of impressed by. We didn’t think it would happen, and they asked us to come back and play. We are headlining tonight at midnight at the Roxy after party.

Are there any bands you are excited to see today?

Dirt Nasty, definitely Dirt Nasty. Pretty excited to see Ozzy. LMFAO as well. They are good buddies.

What do you have coming up in the next year that people should pay attention to?

Well, right now we are actually going on a college tour around the east coast. We are also going to be dropping another mix tape, about 30-45 minutes, next summer.

Do you have a title for the next mix tape?

No, not yet. The last two were called “All About the Scrillions” and “Fuck Bitches and Get Euros.” You can grab those for free online at SuperMashBros.com.