SHAKEMORE AU GO GO
ANNUAL FESTIVAL
Shakemore XIX - July 18 & 19, 2025

There will be official Shakemore merch available at the festival, and you can order hoodies through this link.
What is SHAKEMORE?

Every summer since 2007, Half Japanese has hosted the Shakemore Au Go Go festival. What started as an afternoon celebrating Half Japanese and their many spin-offs, side projects, and associate acts (including Jad Fair, CoocooRockinTime, Spidercake, The Tinklers, Old Songs, The Chumps, Flotation Device,...) has evolved into an annual weekend event comprised of 20 to 30 acts, featuring frequent appearances from what has become a large Shakemore family of bands (including Bang Bang Lulu, Caching Behavior, Cigarbox Planetarium, Go Pills, Weird Paul Rock Band, and many others). Writer/poet/spoken word artist Barbara DeCesare serves as emcee. Gradually over the years, Shakemore has evolved into a year round community in addition to the annual festival.


Word of mouth. Held on private property in Westminster, Maryland USA. All-volunteer (including the bands). Always free to attend. Fun! D.I.Y. fringe spirit! Funded entirely by merchandise sales, raffle ticket sales, donations, sponsorships and benefit events.


Special guests have included Danielson Famile, R. Stevie Moore, Zomes, Daniel Higgs, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Pete Donnelly (The Figgs), Velvet Monkeys, The Zambonis, and many others.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shakemore was an 8-hour online event, featuring 50+ acts, including exclusive video performances, Shakemore flashbacks, and full sets from CooCooRockinTime, Danielson, Lumberob, Velvet Monkeys, and Half Japanese! You can still watch it here: https://youtu.be/1O3Rsk2WRLA A similar, but shorter, online event was held for Shakemore 2021. You can still watch it here: 
https://youtu.be/oA6J0TVfPIQ
INTERESTED IN SPONSORING SHAKEMORE?
Please send us a message at shakemorefestival@gmail.com, and we'll send you details about what kinds of sponsorships are available.
"MY BAND WANTS TO PLAY AT SHAKEMORE"

Of course you do. Who wouldn’t want to?!

Each year the Shakemore Board has a hard task of taking a list of (usually) around 70 bands interested in playing, and condensing it down to 30 or less. First priority is given to all the bands somehow related to Half Japanese (the original purpose of Shakemore), followed by Shakemore family regulars (bands made up of close friends likely to attend whether they play or not), followed by special out-of-town guests we’d like to see. After all those bands confirm their availability, we’re left with about 30 more bands to try to fit into less than 10 open slots. For those remaining slots, we give careful consideration and discussion to each act interested in playing. Sadly we end up having to turn away a lot of bands we would happily invite if we had enough open slots to fit them all in. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, though.


Things you should be aware of before your band applies for consideration:
1. Bands DO NOT get paid to perform at Shakemore
2. With a new act onstage every 30 minutes, bands play roughly 20 minute sets

If you understand all that, and you still want your act considered, send us a message between January 1 and the end of March. The email address is shakemorefestival@gmail.com (please put "Shakemore" and your band name in the subject line).

Include this info in your message: 

  1. Name of band/act?

  2. We want to hear and/or see what your act is like. How can we check you out? (links to website, Facebook, YouTube, Soundcloud/Bandcamp/etc.)

  3. Who is in the band and what instruments do they play?

  4. Designated band/act contact person (name, phone, email)


IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO ATTEND:
RULES, FAQ and THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
RULES - There aren’t very many.
1.) Be polite, kind and considerate. Let’s all take care of each other.
2.) Don’t bring glass to Shakemore, and especially don’t bring glass in the pool area.
3.) Don’t bring pets.
4.) Please clean up after yourself. 
5.) Please wear swimsuits (not your street clothes) in the pool. There’s a changing room by the pool.

FAQ:
Q. Is this a public event?
A. This is a party on private property, so no, it is not exactly a public event. That’s why we don’t announce the address. We do want to have a nice big audience, but we hope that everybody who shows up knows someone involved who personally invited them and gave them the address.

Q. If I don’t want to miss anything, where would I stay Friday night?
A. You are welcome to set up a tent, or just bring a sleeping bag and sleep under the big tent. You can bring a camper or sleep in your car. There are motels nearby. Westminster, MD and Hanover, PA are both about 15 minutes away. 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND:
1.) Shakemore rocks long and hard. You’ll want to stay hydrated. What you drink is your own business. We will have some water (as long as it lasts). Please bring your own water bottles to refill at our water stations.
2.) There will be food available. You may wish to bring some more. Please bring cash money for merch, pizza, drinks, sandwiches, and perhaps some surprise snacks.
3.) We will have a giant tent to protect us from sun and rain. You might want to bring blankets or folding chairs.
4.) The festival is free, but we do have expenses. The big tent, porta-potties, stage, and sound system/crew combined aren’t cheap. We will have a Shakemore raffle as well as shirts and stickers for sale. The profits all go to a fund so that we will be able to have another Shakemore next year.
5.) Many of the bands will have their own merchandise for sale. Be as generous as you can. That will be a good way to thank them for donating their time and skills.
6. The Shaw Ranch sound crew work very hard all weekend. It would be extremely hard to find people who are as professional, dedicated and easy to work with. If you have recording or live sound needs these are the people to see. (www.shawranchstudio.com/)
7. Brush up on your observation skills to avoid poison ivy in fields. Check for ticks.