As of April 4th, 2013, the future of DeLuna Fest is unknown. There are plenty of questions and the biggest one has yet to be answered.

Will there be another DeLuna Fest?

If 2012 was the last year of DeLuna, then the festival ended with the biggest bang possible. It was the diverse, rock-solid lineup that made it special.

PEAL JAM, FOO FIGHTERS, ZAC BROWN BAND, FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, BAND OF HORSES, JIMMY CLIFF, DWIGHT YOAKAM, FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, BEN FOLDS FIVE, JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, DJ JAZZY JEFF, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM, THE WALLFLOWERS, SUPERCHUNK, DIPLO, GUIDED BY VOICES, BAD BRAINS, TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, BOB MOULD PLAYS COPPER BLUE, CITY AND COLOUR, BAND OF SKULLS, 12 PLANET, OFF!, PAPER DIAMOND, THE WOOD BROTHERS, WALKER HAYES, KERMIT RUFFINS AND THE BARBEQUE SWINGERS, MIKE DOUGHTY, THE CORIN TUCKER BAND, REBIRTH BRASS BAND, FISHBONE, REDD KROSS, BLACKBERRY SMOKE, THE SILOS, MOTOPONY, IVAN NEVILLES’ DUMPSTAPHUNK, AC SLATER, ANDERS OSBORNE, TWOTHIRTYEIGHT, BONERAMA, THE PARLOTONES, BEN SOLLEE, HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND, WASHBOARD CHAZ W/ TIN MEN, ERIC LINDELL, MISHKA, CHARMAINE NEVILLE, LIGHTS RESOLVE, CHRIS THOMAS KING, THE LEGENDARY JC’S, ANTOINE KNIGHT, ASTRONAUTALIS, THE VILLIANS, THE CANVAS WAITING, KITT LOUGH, HIP KITTY, DEADLY FISTS OF KUNG-FU, BRASS-A-HOLICS, PALOMA, DLP, PIONEERS! O PIONEERS!

Comparisons were always made between The Hangout Music Festival, DeLuna (both started in 2010) and Mobile’s long-running Bayfest. The Hangout (which began the same year as DeLuna) had the top lineup its first two years, but DeLuna edged everyone in 2012. No festival could touch what happened for those three days on Pensacola Beach.

It was pure Pensacola in every way (positive and negative). A city that dreams a little bigger and fights a little harder than the rest of the world thinks we should.

Will there be another DeLuna Festival? Has the festival on Pensacola Beach gone the way of Springfest? Will there ever be another music event to match what happened here in 2012?

As long as there are people in this town that are willing to play, pay, book, and listen to live music…there is always hope.

While interviewing bands for the Pensacola News Journal and GoPensacola.com’s coverage of DeLuna Fest, I included a game of word association for the local artists and one extra question; What’s your all-time favorite concert…in Pensacola?

Zac Hobbs and Jason Hurt of Deadly Fists of Kung Fu

ZH: Aw man, well there was that GodSmack show. (chuckles) Best show in Pensacola, Florida is…the Archers of Loaves shows where, what’s his name from Man or Astroman, played with the Archers. That was a really good show.

JH: I’m going to go with the Flaming Lips at Sluggo’s when they filled the entire building with fog machine smoke and they were so loud you couldn’t hear them.

WORD ASSOCIATION

MS: Deadly Fists of Kung Fu.

ZH: Taller.

JH: Taller?

ZH: We’re all taller except for you.

JH: No, I wish I was taller.

ZH: That makes a lot of sense.

MS: Pensacola, Florida.

ZH: You can’t say taller again.

JH: Actually, my first thought was “Broken-in shoes.”

ZH: Comfy couch.

JH: It’s got that big ol’ butt dip right…

ZH: It sure does. It’s got the remote for the TV that doesn’t work anymore.

MS: And the last one…DeLuna Fest.

JH: Kick Ass! Guided by Voices!

ZH: Bob Mould!

JH: Bob Mould!

ZH: Superchunk!

JH: At this point, I don’t even care that we’re playing. I just want to see Bob Mould.

ZH: Yeah, I’m pretty sure we get in for free now (laughs). That’s pretty exciting.

GIO LUGO OF PALOMA

MS:  I’m glad you mentioned shows, let me ask you, What is your favorite concert of all time in Pensacola, Florida?

GL: Man, in Pensacola, I’m still a really big fan of the Torche’ show at Sluggo’s on Cervantes Street. That was probably one of the most epic, most powerful guitar onslaughts I have seen. And one the shows that struck me as far as bands playing to their peak was the Sharon Jones and Dap Kings show.  It was just like putting on a vinyl and traveling back in time. You don’t hear bands play their instruments like that. That’s like a whole other level. They whispered, they screamed, they jumped, it was like every aspect of dynamic sound that could be covered by instruments, they were in it. It was totally a pocket situation. I was really impressed with that show.

WORD ASSOCIATION

MS: Pensacola, Florida

GL: Really, immediately, it’s just…it literally is…it’s just…Home. Man, I’m probably thinking about this too much. Just “Home”. I wasn’t born here, but I’ve most of my life.

MS: DeLuna Fest

GL: Epic.

MS: Paloma

GL: (Laughs) Momentum.

MS: Raw Panda

GL: (Laughs) Family

MS: Anything else you would like the readers to know?

GL: Yeah, like I said, we’ve been trying in so many ways to-as far as our friends, as far as what the Raw Panda Showcase is- these are all our friends all bands that we enjoy, are proud of and it’s a the best way to come out to listen to Pensacola original music. It’s all about originality and you also listen to a lot of friends making music all on one stage. It’s all good. It’s a family. It’s a good collection of musicians.

MS: It’s seems like it’s an awesome time for Pensacola music. You’ve seen the crazy times, you’ve seen the dead periods and stuff.

GL: Even the dead days brought out some pretty good folk music and it’s temperamental, but I don’t know. You always got to write and you always got to listen and be prepared for anything.

CHRIS STAPLES

MS: What’s your favorite concert of all-time in Pensacola, Florida?

CS: I have to think. I’ve seen so many good shows. I used to go to the old Sluggo’s on Palafox when I was in high school. Probably, there was a band called Weston, they were a fun pop punk band, they were really tight, but really funny dudes. That was one of the funnest…I’ve seen them twice. Weston and probably Hot Water Music. I saw Hot Water Music, probably one of my favorite shows, I saw them at the Nite Owl, that was in probably 97, 98. It was really exciting. Awesome show. I think the Nite Owl closed pretty soon after that too.

WORD ASSOCIATION

Pensacola, Florida

CS:  I just thought of the beach, which is like really obvious.

MS: No. that’s awesome. That’s how you feel. You’re coming from your heart.

CS: Actually Cordova Mall. I’ll just put Cordova Mall. (laughs)

MS: DeLuna Fest

CS:  Beach Ball.

MS: Twothirtyeight

CS: I don’t know, man. Can we pass that one?

MS: Discover America

CS: Columbus

MS: Christian Metalcore

CS: Stryper

– Michael L. Smith