Número Tres

Click here to see more live photos Aug. 3, 2003: La Fiesta de Punk Rock returns to downtown Fort Lauderdale at Club Venu and Star Bar with more than 700 people turning out for an all-day, two-stage showcase featuring 17 bands.

Número Dos

Click here to see more live photos May 27, 2001: Despite constant showers throughout the 5 1/2-hour show, nearly 600 people attended La Fiesta de Punk Rock, Número Dos on The Chili Pepper's outdoor stage in Fort Lauderdale. South Florida's biggest local punk rock showcase went off without a hitch and the crowd that braved the gloomy weather was treated to eight of the areas top punk bands: Against All Authority, Irish Car Bomb, Anchorman, Glasseater, Bum Ruckus, Pointless, Protagonist and Used Goods.

Número Uno

June 4, 2000: More than 800 people attended the first annual La Fiesta de Punk Rock at the Chili Pepper in Fort Lauderdale. Headlining the all-ages show were South Florida's premiere indie punk bands - Against All Authority and New Found Glory, performing together for the first time. The lineup also included The Agency, The Crumbs, Foolproof and The Come Ons.

Filling out the bill was a wide range of acts with local and national reputations running the gamut from pop-punk (Cru Jones, DKLIMB, Five Cent Wish, Unsung Zeros) to melodic hardcore (Where Fear & Weapons Meet) to garage punk (The Heatseekers) to ska-punk (The Monjees) to indie rock (Pivot, Sunday Driver) to hardcore punk (Protagonist) to to metallic punk (The Groovenics, Simplekill). Also performing were Autopilot Off and Anberlin, who toured the U.S. with Further Seems Forvever and The Movielife.

Following are brief bios of each band and links to their official sites.

Further Seems Forever: Seemingly destined to be known as the former band of Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, this veteran Pompano Beach-based group has exploded on the national scene with its first post-Carrabba album, How to Start a Fire (Tooth & Nail), released Feb. 11. The video for The Sound is being aired on MTV2.

Anberlin: Orlando pop rockers toured the nation independently several times over the past two years and released a debut album for Tooth & Nail, Blueprints for the Black Market, on May 6.

Against All Authority: Stronger, more vital and relevant 10 years after almost single-handedly kick-starting the Miami punk scene, AAA continues to record and tour the world with its strong political message and hardcore punk sound.

Autopilot Off: Blasting hard and catchy punk rock since the mid-'90s, the New York-based band recently signed with Island Records with plans to re-release its self-titled EP to a wider audience.

Cru Jones: This 3-year-old Palm Beach County-based emo pop-punk band has been busy working on a new album and preparing a tour of the U.S.

DKLIMB: Also known as Don King Lives In My Backyard, this Fort Lauderdale pop-punk five-piece has been playing and recording relentlessly since 2001 and has opened for Less Than Jake, Yellowcard, The Starting Line, Poison The Well, Rufio and more.

Five Cent Wish: Counting itself among a new generation of bands inspired by New Found Glory, Five Cent Wish has put out a CD and has steadily worked its way up through the local scene over the past three years while building a solid following.

The Groovenics: This longtime Palm Beach County band has retooled its lineup and sound since the national release its self-titled album in 2001, shifting toward more of punk-infused metal attack. The Groovenics recently traveled to New York to record with Billy Graziadei and Danny Schuler of Biohazard.

The Heatseekers: This garage punk band from Fort Lauderdale has just released a new CD, In Praise Of, on OHEV Records. The Heatseekers are taking rock out of the garage and giving punk a swift kick in the ass.

The Monjees: This Miami five-piece fuses reggae/dancehall, punk and hip-hop into their ska music, leading the way for the new movement of fourth wave ska.

The Movielife: After touring with New Found Glory and Good Charlotte, the Long Island-based quintet hooks up with Further Seems Forever and Autopilot Off for an East Coast tour. The band's second release for major label MCA, Forty Hour Train Back To Penn, features driving punk-pop with an agressive yet uplifting edge.

Pivot: This Broward County melodic indie rock band suffered through several personnel changes since forming in 1998, losing a key member to Dashboard Confessional, but rebounded in 2001 with the well-received EP Where The Debris Meets The Sea on Purple Skunk Records.

Protagonist: Hailing from Boca Raton, this hardcore punk band just released its first national album, Hope and Rage, on Blackout! Records (H20, Sheer Terror).

Simplekill: An emotional-driven nu-metal band from various parts of South Florida, Simplekill features a hard, abrasive sound combined with raw aggression and influences of punk rock and melody.

Sunday Driver: A modern indie rock band from Miami, this emo-influenced group has just released an 11-song CD, A Letter to Bryson City (Dog House Records).

Unsung Zeros: This Orlando-based band has a new CD, Moments From Mourning, on South Florida's Eulogy Recordings and tour dates across the country. The album is garnering college radio airplay for the aggressive pop-punk band.

Where Fear & Weapons Meet: A straight-ahead Miami hardcore band with elements of both old and new schools, The Weapon began 5 years ago and has released albums on the Revelation and Eulogy labels. The band recently returned to the scene after a 2-year hiatus.