Hundreds of Pelham residents and out-of-towners descended on the parking lot off Sparks Avenue Saturday night to sample the latest edition of Toonerville, the town’s own live music festival. Soul Asylum headlined a lineup of local and alternative bands that got the crowd rocking from the afternoon until well into the evening.

“I had so much fun at Toonerville,” said middle school student Grady McCormick. “I enjoyed listening to different bands. It’s a great event for Pelham.”

“I really enjoy Toonerville and all of the aspects of the event like the food trucks, sponsor pop-ups, and of course the music,” said high school student and Toonerville’s social media coordinator Audrey Pursel. “It’s really a time when the community can come together and spend a whole day together.”

“It was an amazing experience to be on stage kicking off Toonerville this year,” said guitarist Declan Thomason from local high school band Static Youth. “We had the best time playing for the community and we thank everyone for coming out to support us! We hope to be able to do it again next year.”

“I’m really excited because we got to perform on the main stage, and I get to perform for my community,” said Sam Bonanno, who sings for Seventh Avenue, a band of local high school students.  “I love playing for my friends and family who have supported me through the years,” added Bonanno, who also writes about music for the Pelham Examiner.

“Pelham’s music festival, Toonerville, was so much fun!” said Jackie DeAngelis, Bonnano’s mother.  “From our amazing high school bands, Static Youth and Seventh Avenue, to the beloved ’90s band Soul Asylum, every act brought great energy. Best of all, it’s for a wonderful cause: the Pelham Civics, one of our great organizations supporting students and families. A huge thanks to the organizers and volunteers for making it all happen!”

In a backstage interview Saturday, Soul Asylum’s lead singer Dave Pirner described the event as “pretty cool.” “I’m digging the bands,” he said. “I didn’t know that there would be so many young bands.”

Asked how he originally got into music, Pirner credited his mother.  “I’ve made music my whole life,” he said. “My mother would sing in church, and she encouraged me to sing and then encouraged me to play an instrument, so I picked the trumpet. I’ve listened to all kinds of classical, jazz, rock.”

Pirner also talked about the origins of his band, which came together in Minneapolis in the 1980s. “I went to a high school about four-to-five blocks away from the grocery store, and there were two guys there that were bagboys,” he recalled, “I knew them because they dated two girls that went to my school. My band had just broken up, so I met the two guys and all three of us started playing together. I played drums and then I moved up to become the singer.”

Pirner said the band that had the most impact on him growing up was Deep Purple. Asked about his top five artists or groups, he cited a range of musical legends:  Miles Davis, the Ramones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.

Soul Asylum is touring on and off and the band is working on another album, said Pirner.