Mustard Service Gathers Its Friends for Zest Fest III

After a summer of touring and writing music, Miami hometown favorites Mustard Service, known for their zest-pop sound, are gearing up to bring back Zest Fest on Saturday, September 21, for its third edition since 2019 and returning to the Miami Beach Bandshell for a second time. The festival's zesty lineup features local bands Folktale San Pedro, Viloria, and Blood Orchid, as well as Atlanta-based Lunar Vacation.

Before moving the event to the Bandshell last year, the inaugural Zest Fest took place at the Bridge in 2019. "From then on, it was such a success that we decided just to keep doing it annually, and at this point, we've expanded it to other cities too," drummer Adam Rhodes shares.

Mustard Service's Spotify shows that most of the band's listeners are based in Los Angeles. In response, the band, consisting of Marco Rivero on lead vocals and guitar, Gabriel "Nuchi" Marinuchi on guitar, Leo "Big Guy" Cattani on keys, Rhodes on drums, and Sebastian Holmes on bass, has taken Zest Fest across the country to where the fans are.

"We've been doing Zest Fests in Los Angeles. We just did San Francisco and San Diego — lots of California — but we'll always be doing it here in our hometown, Miami, every year around fall," Rhodes says.

Since coming together seven years ago, the band has continued to form strong bonds with other acts in Miami's ever-changing music scene. "I've always wanted to play with Folktale San Pedro," Rivero says. "They have some new songs coming out, and I remember Folktale was one of the first bands I saw in Miami before we started Mustard Service, where they used to wear these llama masks."
At last year's fest, Mustard Service enlisted local acts like Seafoam Walls, Better Than This, and Donzii. "The people we get together are just like our friends. We like to support our friends and share what we have going on with them; that's how we curate our lineups," Rhodes explains.

Last year's Zest Fest also celebrated the release of the band's third album, Variety Pack, which aptly describes the wild mix of genres and moods across its 13 tracks. Since then, the band has spent the year writing, recording, and touring independently and with bands such as the Frights and the UK band Bombay Bicycle Club.

"When we're not touring, we're writing music," Rhodes shares.

The band has also been cooking up new music in the studio, which you can expect to get a first listen to during Saturday's show.

Living up to the Instagram bio of "just five dudes being silly," Mustard Service's performance should be filled with plenty of goofy stage antics.

"If you come out to this fest, you will be entertained; you're going to see something goofy. You might laugh, you might cry. Who knows?" Rhodes tease.

"We may or may not use inflatable tube men, depending on how loud that is," Rivero adds.

Zest Fest. With Mustard Service, Lunar Vacation, Folktale San Pedro, Viloria, and Blood Orchid. 7 p.m. Saturday, September 21, at Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; miamibeachbandshell.com. Tickets cost $30.90 at dice.fm.