Lowbrow Getdown - June 28th - 30th, 2019

Lowbrow Getdown 2016

"Loud pipes ruin naps" was the common theme at this year's Lowbrow Getdown

It is hard to believe Lowbrow Getdown 2016 has already come to pass. Each year we celebrate Ohio's warmer months by having a huge moto camping party at Nelson Ledges Quarry park in July. You never really know what you are in for when you arrive at The Lowbrow Getdown, but it's always extremely fun.

In year's past we have been in the middle of a rave, had guys rock the stage like David Allen Coe and Blue Oyster Cult, and we even had a Biltwell Cocktagon fight on the beach. This year we kept it simple; just ride, drink, camp and surprisingly people said they had one of the best times yet.

The Atmosphere

Ohio is filed with tons of campgrounds, parks, and forests but none compare to the nostalgia of Nelson's Ledges. Extremely tall trees cover the grounds with rays of sunlight that peek through the branches, leaving warm pockets throughout the campground. There are small homemade shelters, canopies tied to the tops of trees, and tent fortresses built by the locals that live on the grounds in the summer months.

Though you may feel completely surrounded by trees, there actually is a quarry filled with some of the cleanest water ever to swim in at the center of the campground. There's a small island in the middle of the water along with plenty of cliffs to jump off into the water and swim.

The front gate to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. I feel like I almost blow by it every year!

Kat, riding into the campground, Friday 7.8.16. A road completely surrounded by trees.

The view from my tent. Tall trees and the sunlight bouncing off smoke rising from the fire ring.

They call it the Buckeye side, we waited for a life guard for hours to finally swim off this beautiful part of the campground.

The Roll In

This year's Lowbrow Getdown attendees rolled in from all over the Midwest, Canada, Alabama and even Vermont. Watching bikes ride into the "War Zone", is one of my favorite things to do. At my camp we line up chairs semi close to the road to watch bikes come in and out for a good portion of the first day. I heard a few people got soaked the entire ride in Friday, while others missed the storms all together.

Everyone's stories were different and I feel like that's what helps make these events so great. When people start sharing their stories and relating to previous encounters with others, it forms bonds and friendships that last a life time.

One of the many groups of 4 or more bikes rolling into this year's Lowbrow Getdown.

Some guys after setting up camp, rode off to the local convenient store to pick up their favorite adult beverages of choice.

Others just rode back and forth showing off their goods.

The Food

Every year I love experiencing the ingenuity that some have when making food while camping, it really makes me smile. My friend Dan Lawrence has made burritos on the fire in the past years but this year he stepped up his game a bit and smoked some chicken for a few hours along with cooking up some fancy type of potatoes and other veggies in a skillet over the fire.

It was extremely delicious, and you could tell everyone at the camp thought the same. Another friend of mine ended up burning bacon and sausages on an old Coleman while drinking beermosas (orange juice mixed with Highlife) Saturday morning and yet those were still delicious too.

Chef Dan Lawrence opening up some more food to prepare with his smoked chicken.

Nads burning the sausages. At least there is beermosas.

Also here at Lowbrow Customs we try to supply at least one meal per day for everyone. This year we had Paul Davis from Dan's Dogs whip up some of his gourmet hot dogs for the party on Friday night. He even made special names for the dogs, which everyone seemed to get a good chuckle at.

The bread was this crazy Texas toast kind of bun and the different assortments of toppings makes you want to try one of each till you can't eat anymore. On Saturday, Pizza Hut came through in a big way with a bunch of cheese and pepperoni pizzas for everyone. I have never seen 21 pizzas disappear so fast.

Paul Davis, the man behind the Dan's Dogs restaurant in Medina, Ohio taking a little break after serving 300 plus hotdogs Friday night. He's the man!

Thanks again Pizza Hut for the pies, they went fast.

The Bikes

It's always cool to see the bikes in our area out and about next to tents and ripping through the campground. There are always some that have changed, other stay the same, and some guys were riding something completely new this year. It's always so relaxing walking through the campground, beer in hand and snapping photos.

Bob and Melina ripping it up to get some food. His Harley-Davidson Pan/Shovel is immaculate.

This was one of my favorite Harley-Davidson Sportsters this year. Simple to look at, yet it had such a great stance, with a beautiful color choice, and really cool seat. A great way to make your bike stand out using custom Sportster parts.

Kyle Waltz on his Harley-Davidson Generator Shovelhead.

If the Lowbrow Getdown was the type of event where we gave out awards, this would have been the best Shovelhead. It is just crusty in all the right places and perfect in every single way.

These straight T-bars complimented with a Cycle Standard Super Narrow Frisco Gas Tank and Lowbrow Flying Monkey Orange and Black grips really set this Sportster off.

Bobby Simmons doing it big with this off white 1965 Harley-Davidson Panhead, featuring a locally-made Gasbox Dog Dish Air Cleaner.

Simple and clean Yamaha XS650 chopper rolling in. It's always cool seeing our Lowbrow Customs Fuel Reserve Bottle and how people strap it to their bags.

If you didn't see this old Shovelhead hiding in the back of the woods, you missed out. The patina, windshield, pogo seat, and even the saddle bags just made this an instant ic.

"If it ain't long it's wrong." This Harley-Davidson Ironhead is lean, mean, and the handlebars are pretty crazy too. Built by Tyler Porter.

The Cliff Jumping Contest

This year Poler gave us a bunch of amazing camping gear to give out. We thought what better way then to have a cliff jumping contest. Guys and gals were going all out, trying their absolute hardest to win. They were doing weird back flip flairs variations, double front flips, and even a few tried the dreaded belly flop. The cliff is about 15 feet off of the water and feels like you are hitting a truck if you don't land the right way. A few kept it sketchy with a piggy back jump and handstand push-off but the winner, Billy Howard came through with 2 and a half flips to take home first place and the goods.

Shane doing the sketchiest trick, handstand push-off. He defiantly got yelled at by the life guard.

Madeline getting way up into the sky. She came close to winning.

The Kyles throwing the rules out the window and piggybacking it.

A failed attempt at a belly flop.

Billy Howard, the champion of the Lowbrow Getdown 2016 Cliff Jumping Contest.

The Best Campsite

We also decided to give out a second prize pack filled with Poler stuff to the best campsite. Kyle asked me, "Who has the cool old Dodge van with the blender, generator, and a bunch of choppers at their site? They look like they are doing it right." I told him it was the Canton kids plus Paco. He laughed and said "Well that's cool some local guys get to take home some good stuff." As we dropped off the prize pack to the site, they were all in disbelief and extremely happy. The word had gotten around that night they had won the best camp site, so people kept walking over to see what it was all about. At one time I think there was over 50 people partying in their spot, just insane.

Camp Canton going through the box of swag from Poler.

Paco running off with the coolest sleeping bag from Poler.

Kyle was keeping his tarp on his bike for shelter using knives as stakes. Chopper all the way.

So many people partying in the best camp spot!

In Conclusion

The Lowbrow Getdown isn't just a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts in the woods to party their faces off. I feel as if it is a moment in time where everything can be let go, you can relax and be yourself with friends and do literally anything you want. Every Lowbrow Getdown is different year to year and a completely different experience for every single person who attends. It's all how you look at it, and how you choose to make your memories. That's the beautiful thing about it all. The Lowbrow Getdown is in the same location every year but never the same memory for anyone. Till next year everyone.

Photos and words by

-Mikey Revolt

Random dude living it up in the hammock life with some friends.

Lowbrow Getdown 2017

Well, we survived yet another year of shenanigans in the woods. The Lowbrow Getdown, like years prior, was a bit different, full of surprises and special in it's own little ways. From Russian Pizza shots, to nuts-to-butts flaming torches, swimming, the occasional explosion, music, and of course the beloved guys trying to blow up their motors at 5am by revving them to the limit. This year's Lowbrow Getdown did not disappoint by any means. There were tons of brilliant bikes, some really innovative and killer camp set ups, along with just some of the best people to hang out with.

Friday ended up with a slow and steady flow of people rolling in after work. A lot of people were wondering why half the campground looked shutdown and unfortunately the board of health laid down some new rules on Nelson's Ledges this year causing a little confusion. Most claimed the prime camping spots by the middle of the day, as others scrounged to make the new rules of the camp ground work and find a spot.

Overall the feeling of the campground felt more like a community than previous years, as everyone was packed in as tight as they possibly could. This made it extremely easy to to find each group of friends who grouped together by their city or state. In the center area was each crew which had a few sites in a row from Buffalo, Canada, Cleveland, Youngstown, Columbus, Canton, Pennsylvania, Medina and so on.

The award for the best campsite definitely went to the Pennsylvania crew, who made up their very own makeshift bar and were giving away free Russian Pizza Shots all weekend long. What is a Russian Pizza shot you ask? First you start by putting a piece of pepperoni on your tongue with a little bit a marinara sauce on the top.

Then you take a shot of cheap vodka and eat the pepperoni! It's not the most appetizing thing to be getting your kicks from, but it was a huge hit with everyone. People piled over to their site all weekend long and it was all the rage.

Saturday morning we started off with a small ride to Warren, Ohio for some brunch and then ended up picking up some more supplies, aka beer. Most of the day was filled with cliff jumping, swimming, and lounging on floaties. There was and abundance of killer floatation type devices this year too. A hand full of people just laid around nursing their hang overs at their camp, while some tinkered with their bikes.

There was even a few guys playing acoustic guitars and getting their sing along on. Paul from Dan's Dogs served up his gourmet hotdogs all day long too, which made for some great munchables. And, yet again, the occasional obnoxious reving of a motorcycle would echo through the trees every few hours while people screamed at them to shut the F*%$ up.

Things got a little hazy on Saturday night but there was a ton of fun had by all and we will leave it up to your imaginations to figure the rest out!

Here is a some helpful tips for next year if you plan on coming out to The Lowbrow Getdown. Get their early, it's more fun that way and you will get a prime camping spot. Bring stuff to trick out your camping spot, make it the craziest and coolest spot and you will be the talk of the campground! Bring a floatie, a tube, water wings, or some type of floatation type device for swimming, because it's super fun. Make sure to bring ear plugs, or noise cancelation head phones so you can sleep (don't say we didn't warn you). Oh and lots of Advil, Tylenol, or other headache pain killers of choice to help your hangover!

Thank you to everyone who came out this year and we hope to see each and every single one of you at next year's Lowbrow Getdown for some more wild and crazy fun.

Words and Photos by:

-Mikey Revolt

Here is a video recap of The Lowbrow Getdown 2017.

Lowbrow Getdown 2018

The Lowbrow Getdown 2018 Information

The dates are set! The Lowbrow Getdown is taking place Friday, July 13th through Sunday, July 15th, 2018. Once again, Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville, Ohio will be 'HOME' for the weekend! Though every Lowbrow Getdown has been held at the ledges, no two Getdowns have ever been the same, and this year will be no exception.

Whether you're heading out by yourself to meet and hang with a bunch of like-minded individuals, or coming out with a caravan of your closest friends, good times are sure to be had by all. If you've never been to the Getdown, and don't know what to expect, let's just say 'party' sums it up.

This is NOT a bike show, with vendors or organized activities. It is a party in the woods with motorcycles, drinks, food, naps, swimming, campfires and friends! The swimming in the spring-fed quarry is sure to cure your hangover the next morning! Don't forget your floaty..

Who: Everyone is welcome. Ride your bike out or drive your hot rod. Show people your bike goes further than the local Starbucks parking lot. Douchebags will not be tolerated, if you think this might be you, don't come.

What: It's simple. Come on out, eat some food, get ripped and hang out in the woods all night with a bunch of dudes (and maybe some ladies too, but mostly dudes. Just being honest...). Spend a couple nights, wake up Sunday morning and swim away your hangover in the beautiful spring fed quarry and do some cliff diving.

When: Friday, July 13th - Sunday, July 15th, 2018

Where: Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. Their actual street address is: 12001 Nelson Ledge Road, Garrettsville, OH 44231

How: Get that junker running and bring what you need, we will have some food and beer, but bring a tent and be self sufficient, we want to have fun, too! Camping at the quarry is $20 per night, payable to the campground at the gate.

UPDATE: Best Campsite Awards at the Getdown!

We want YOU to be part of the Lowbrow Getdown experience. This year, we are handing out killer prizes and awards for the best campsites at the Getdown. Think 'Burning Man' but in Ohio, in the back-woods, and surrounded by motorcycles. We are looking for the most outlandish, interactive and creative campsites that help add to the flavor of the weekend.

Create a theme for your campsite, a game or contest for people to play, make it a dance party, get creative! Last year we had some intrepid campers make and bring a 'Russian Pizza' booth. They set up a booth and gave out shots of vodka with pizza sauce and pepperoni in it (of course). It was a crowd-pleaser for sure. Others had elaborate lighting set up, Tiki booths, even a mini-rave with laser light show. Let's see what you got!

If you could ask any of us here at Lowbrow what are favorite event would be, hands down 10 out of the 14 people here would say The Lowbrow Getdown. It's just a place where everyone can unwind, let loose and have a bunch of fun with no judgments or rules. I feel like I say we will never be able to top last year's and somehow the next one comes a long and it's even crazier or on a whole other level entirely.

Looking back at the past ones, you really never do truly know what you are walking into. One year it could be an amazing concert with David Allen Coe and Blue Oyster Cult, the next it could be a rave with a silent disco and tons of party favors. It's always a gamble and no one ever knows what to really except to happen at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. How could anything ever top the previous years.

Well, over the years I've noticed its not how the party is scheduled its how the party unfolds, life is what you make it and somehow at The Lowbrow Getdown everyone who attends truly does get it and makes the weekend extremely special.

The wife and I set off for the ledges on Thursday evening taking backroads and not pushing the Shovelhead too hard after I just replaced the advance unit and magnet in my ignition. I always get a little weary after I fix something but it ended up running great. After the awkward check in we found a perfect spot to set up camp and we had a relaxing night with a few people who came down from Michigan for the festivities early as well.

"Lets have one night of peace before the debauchery begins." I said to our new found friends as I toasted my beer in the air. We were truly grateful for that night because in that cheers echoed so much truth and the next two days would be filled with little to no sleep, wild and a drunken mess of fun chaos.

Friday The 13th

Kat and I woke up a bit early to get a little swimming in at the quarry before everyone started rolling in. As the woods roared with exhausts we decided to start walking back to see who was setting up their camps. Kyle and Longhair had showed up as we were walking back to the "Warzone" so we stopped to help set up the Lowbrow base camp. From there the beers started flowing and more motorcycles kept flooding in down the road. People smiling from ear to ear and the occasional waive or finger flip towards the camera made it feel like a never ending parade of new faces on bikes.

The idea for this year's Getdown was to make your own theme, build your own thing, and or make an experience of your own for the weekend that everyone could enjoy. There were three camps that really participated in this and they were known as the Lowbrow Luau, The Pizza Shot / Pittsburgh crew, and the white people (which seemed a little off putting).

The Buffalo crew were completely dressed in white clothing so instead of white people we started calling them The Cult which seemed more fitting since some of the regulars were asking us whats up with the cult in the back corner.

The overall day was tame but as night started to fall, engines started roaring and people started howling into the air like wolves crying at a full moon. I remember seeing a ton of new builds I've never seen before while walking through the "Warzone", and handful that looked familiar from previous years. I soon matched owners to the machines, snapping photos and saying hello with what little light I had left. As the sun fell and the woods turned dark, things got a bit hazy, lots of glow sticks, lots of jokes and lots of beers! I think at one point I said it was everyone's turn that night. And if it's everyones turn, that means too many people are getting wild to the point of no return!

Saturday The 14th

As I woke early Saturday morning to people still partying and most likely never going to bed because of certain things we will leave un said. I heard my buddy Jb yelling my name as he ran over to my tent to show me some photos, which I'm also not allowed to share for more reasons then I can count.

Lets just say some poor glow sticks may have been harmed in the making of Friday night's ridiculousness that I'm extremely grateful I did not witness said acts! After laughing it up and hearing more stories about the just horrible things that happened to these poor glow sticks, Kat and I made our way back to the quarry to go swimming for a bit again.

Everyone was there and tons of crazy flotation devices were littered throughout the water. It made for a relaxing day to nurse the hang over away. We even jumped on a blow up bull riding float for awhile, it was a ton of fun!

After swimming I took some time to take some photos of camps and bikes for a bit. My phone started to ring a New York area code. I had totally forgot my friend Dakota wanted to propose to his girlfriend Alisha and he wanted me to take some photos of it... I answered in a panic and ran over to meet him by his bike where his life would soon change forever. It was such a great moment and she never saw it coming.

He acted like he needed some help holding a part on his bike and called her over. As she walked over to where he was already on his knees working, he whipped the ring box out of his tool bag and asked her. She said yes and it was nothing but smiles afterwards from everyone who witnessed it. Just one more amazing memory to add to the history of The Lowbrow Getdown!

As night came, anarchy kind of took over the Lowbrow Luau camp site. Some how from little baby bottle rockets and fire crackers getting thrown at people turned into destroying the Pizza Shot bar and jumping the pizza like a ramp with mini bikes, to playing chopper limbo and sliding underneath a huge stick.

The ramp eventually got destroyed by a Dyna and someone said "Grab some gasoline and light that shit on fire!" (coughing) That someone might of been me. My friend Joe started to throw gasoline on the ramp and it engulfed in flames, with in seconds the 50 people surrounding the shenanigans turned into 100 people. A few lawn chairs went on the fire and everyone started cheering.

As I looked around again it looked more like 150 people showed up and more of the pizza shot bar went flying onto the fire. Mind you this is all happening in the middle of the main road to get in and out of the back part of the campground. People started dancing around the fire like Indians doing battle cry calls, and motorcycles started to running over the ever growing bonfire. I recall even a rebel flag getting burned and a few bras too! Like I said, it was complete and utter anarchy for about 2 hours and then the camp security came and put an end to it all with a quick spray of a fire extinguisher.

With yet another brilliant Lowbrow Getdown in the books, I will say it again. You may never really know what to expect when riding into The Lowbrow Getdown but I promise, it will always be memorable. Its all about what you make of it and no matter how unplanned the choices you make, the company you keep will make those memories last a life time. Seriously if you haven't gone to a Lowbrow Getdown yet, make plans to come next year. Same place, same good time, see everyone July 12-14th, 2019!

Lowbrow Getdown 2019

The Lowbrow Getdown 2019 Information

This year (2019) is the 11th year for the Lowbrow Getdown! It has grown over the years but the event has stayed the same otherwise. Ride motorcycles, camp, swim, party and hang out with a bunch of like-minded individuals in the woods. No vendor booths or organized activities, this is just a big motorcycle party and camp-out! One big change this year is the date...

We have had the Getdown the same weekend in July since it began, but due to more festivals (and higher cost to camp at those times) in July we moved it a couple weeks earlier to Friday, June 28th through Sunday, June 30th, 2019. The weather should be stellar, and the cost is $20 per night to camp, paid right to the campground at the gate when you arrive. This is Nelson's Ledges Quarry Park's normal camping fee. There are no extra costs for the Lowbrow Getdown! We don't do this to make money, we do it to have a damn good time.

Though every Lowbrow Getdown has been held at the ledges, no two Getdowns have ever been the same, and this year will be no exception. Whether you're heading out by yourself to meet and hang with a bunch of like-minded individuals, or coming out with a caravan of your closest friends, good times are sure to be had by all. If you've never been to the Getdown, and don't know what to expect, let's just say 'party' sums it up. This is NOT a bike show, with vendors or organized activities. It is a party in the woods with motorcycles, drinks, food, naps, swimming, campfires and friends! The swimming in the spring-fed quarry is sure to cure your hangover the next morning! Don't forget your floaty..

Who: Everyone is welcome. Ride your bike out or drive your hot rod. Show people your bike goes further than the local Starbucks parking lot. Douchebags will not be tolerated, if you think this might be you, don't come.

What: It's simple. Come on out, eat some food, get ripped and hang out in the woods all night with a bunch of dudes (and maybe some ladies too, but mostly dudes. Just being honest...). Spend a couple nights (or longer, people show up Wednesday and Thursday as well), wake up Sunday morning and swim away your hangover in the beautiful spring fed quarry and do some cliff diving.

When: Friday, June 28th - Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Where: Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. Their actual street address is: 12001 Nelson Ledge Road, Garrettsville, OH 44231

How: Get that junker running and bring what you need, bring a tent and be self sufficient. Camping at the quarry is $20 per night, payable to the campground at the gate.

The Lowbrow Getdown 2019 Trip

Damn, another year, another Lowbrow Getdown gone and passed. Eleven years running and its still an absolute blast. What a hell of a party it was this year! There was 4 people confirmed that blew up their transmissions and or motors, which I'm pretty sure is a new record. There was a ton of great riding, swimming, a small rave, dice being rolled, burn outs, a naked guy (Chooch), adult beverages and other fun shenanigans we can't speak of all weekend long.

"The Lowbrow Gauntlet" was probably the best thing that went down and it sparked up a pretty good idea for a main event for next year's Lowbrow Getdown, we can't wait... There is no solid date on the Getdown for next year yet, but we promise it will be happening and as soon as we have a date locked we will announce it. Big thanks to everyone who came out, partied hardy, and kept it y. We will see ya next year!