GSB 2026: Day 2 Live Blog

11:00 PM

FTC Mass Comm student photographer Adrian Kartalozi secured a Main Stage press pass to capture Sublime’s performance and shared some of his favorites shots with the FTC Record Online.  “Being close up to the band was an amazing opportunity. Getting around the other fifteen photographers in the designated area was a challenge but I was able to get the shots that I wanted, making this a great professional learning experience.”

9:30 PM

The whole day has lead up to this…Sublime headlining the Main Stage at 9:30 PM.

FTC alum Sal Pizzaurro said, “I’ve listened to Sublime for a long time, so it’s gonna be really cool to see them in person. Especially now that Bradley’s son, Jacob, is now in the band, that feels a lot more like the old Sublime, and I’m just excited to see him live.”

This lucky Five Towns crew got to meet lead singer Jakob Nowell earlier today after the band’s soundcheck.

 

9:15 PM

Oogee Wawa is wrapping on the Five Towns Stage to a packed nighttime crowd.  People are either dancing or keeping beach balls afloat.  The air is cool and the stage is hot. 🔥The Production Design team is putting on another special light show.

 

8:45 PM

Second to last on the Five Towns College Stage is Bunktown Falls, a Long Island based reggae, surf-rock, and alternative band consisting of lead members Carl Nowicki (vocals), Alex Mundo (guitar/vocals), Spencer Guttenberg (bass/vocals), and Joe Knipe (drums/vocals). The band describes themselves as “that band that throws the party you wouldn’t wanna miss.” 

The band was definitely in the party mood when they stopped by the FTC Sound Stream set for an interview after their performance.

 

8:30 PM

Among the many vendors lined up on the festival grounds, one booth offered attendees a chance to slow down and look beyond the music. Tarot and palm readings provided festival goers with an opportunity to look into the future, seek guidance, or simply a memorable experience that added a touch of mystery and spirituality to the atmosphere.

FTC Reporter Grace Bonamico stopped by for her own reading saying, “I definitely resonated with the reading, right away everything that she said was accurate and very truthful about what has been going on in my life, it gave me a lot of insight into how to live my life going forwards but also perspective on this last year and a half which has been very strenuous time in my life.”

 

8:00 PM

Now let’s check in with our broadcast team, who just wrapped up the Bunktown Falls livestream.  “The broadcast is going pretty well, a few hiccups between each set. But overall the broadcast is going pretty great. Bunktown Falls was white balanced perfectly. We’re looking to have a good last set with Oogee Wawa,” said student Director Thomas Di Salvo.

 

7:00 PM

Continuing with tonight’s theme, Reggaelar People, a reggae-rock powerhouse straight outta the East Coast, brought the energy straight to the Five Towns College Stage.  During their set, the band called out a new addition to the night’s stage.

 

Meet the band:

 

After their set, Reggaelar People’s Justin Gratta and Brandon Gratta popped by the FTC Sound Stream set for a chat with Shaun Berry, Frank LaPinta and Tyler McCready.

 

6:30 PM

Vendor Matt Grady is thrilled to bring his apparel company, Inlet, to the Great South Bay Music Festival.

“Working at the Great South Bay music festival is actually a big accomplishment for me. I came to the festival for years, just as a patron and enjoying it with my friends. And it’s kind of a shining jewel of my festival season. 
I do a lot of local events. Like, I’ve been at Live after Five (also in Patchogue, NY) as well as the Strawberry Festival out in Mattituck. 
But coming here, the scale that they do it on, is really great. It is a really big accomplishment for a small brand like mine to be able to do it in the way that I’m doing it. So I’m very honored to be here.“

 

5:45 PM

Project Vibes set the tone for Day 2 on the Main Stage, opening up to an enthusiastic crowd.  The band, which was formed in 2004, has released three albums and is having a busy July, playing 15 gigs.  Vocalist Ed “Panama” Arguello is a multilingual singer and songwriter and is deeply rooted in the reggae and Latin music traditions. Other band members include Drew Bertrand, Matthew Hansen, James Pipa, and Colin Turner, 

 

5:00 PM

Iriespect opened up the Five Towns College Stage at 4:30 PM. The Long Island-based band is known for its high-energy performances and genre blending sounds, combining reggae, rock, live dub, Latin, dancehall, and more. Music enthusiast, Paige Davis highlights the energy of the band, saying, “It’s been really good vibes. We love the energy, especially the singer right now. He was just actually talking about that. So we love it.” 

 

FTC Mass Comm Audio student Kevin Schwartz took over the audio reigns during Iriespect’s performance on the Five Towns College Stage.

 

4:00 PM

The Great South Bay Music Festival  is not just known for its musical performances. Dozens of vendors line the festival grounds, selling food, drinks, and other merchandise. One of those vendors that shows up every year is Wormtown Trading Co. from Massachusetts. “We travel around selling crystals, clothes, jewelry. We got silver rings and wood sculptures,” says employee Davis Blass.  Take a look at some of their unique items.

 

3:30 PM

The wait is over with the festival gates finally opening as the first wave of attendees start to roll into the festival grounds for Day 2. Victoria Dastres shared her overall excitement for the day ahead. “I like seeing everyone bring their families along and enjoying the music.“

Chatter on the line was filled with talk about Sublime’s appearance at the festival. “I’m looking forward to seeing Sublime. I’ve been wanting to see them forever, and now that Jacob’s (Nowell) lead-manning the band, I feel like it’s gonna be even better and it just has so much more of a meaning now, knowing that he is Bradley’s (Nowell) son.“

 

3:15 PM

FTC students are working hard, setting up the stage and testing their equipment for another day of live music. FTC Mass Comm major David Frith is running audio and Pyro today and reports that everything is up and running and good to go. FTC Film &TV major Frank Veltry plans to operate the camera near the stage with the spark towers and bubble machines firing right beside him. 

 

3:00 PM

Day 2 of the Great South Bay Music Festival brings the opening of the Jambalaya Stage and more vendors.

 

 

2:30 PM

Day 2 brings different kind of hype to the stage with the laid back spirit of reggae and the energetic rhythms of ska.  Five Towns students are excited for both the music and the professional experience of producing the Five Towns College Stage. “I’m Crew Head for electrics at Five Towns, so getting to actually get out in the world at a music festival and rig concert lighting has been really fun and exciting. I also think I’m stereotypical and am most excited about Sublime later,” said Musical Theatre major Sammy Rooney.

Kicking things off at the Five Towns College Stage at the Bandshell is Iriespect at 4:30 PM, followed by Half Breeds opening up the Jambalaya Stage at 4:45 PM. The Main Stage gets underway at 5:10 PM with Project Vibes, setting the tone for an evening filled with feel good music and chill summer vibes along with nice and breezy weather conditions.

 

2:00 PM

After an unforgettable opening day, the Great South Bay Music Festival is back in action for Day 2 with more good vibes and amazing music.  Isabella Escobar and Frank LaPinta will be blogging their way through this beautiful sunny day, with Grace Bonamico joining after she finishes her FTC Sound Stream radio show.

Isabella and Frank are recent FTC Mass Comm graduates, and are excited to be back at the GSB Music Festival, for the professional experience, amazing food and to die for photo-ops. Grace is a rising FTC Mass Comm senior and her favorite part of the school year is GSB; she loves the food, sun, and fun of it all. All three bloggers  have worked together on the radio and television and are excited to join forces again today.