Planet Desert Rock Weekend IV Set for Jan. 25-27; Initial Lineup Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 4th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Planet Desert Rock Weekend IV will take place across three days this coming January in Las Vegas, and if you’re the type to travel, that should be plenty of notice for you to plan your excursion. Assembled by singularly-passionate promoter John Gist of Vegas Rock Revolution, the initial lineup features Sasquatch and Freedom Hawk and Borracho and a Spiralarms reunion and and and and, oh hell you can read it for yourself on the banner.

In all seriousness, it’s a solid bill. Sandveiss are awesome and they and Black Elephant and Mezzoa, Vegas’ own Sonolith are the kind of right on picks one would expect considering the personnel involved in making the thing. I’m not the world’s biggest Scorpion Child fan, but even I know they’re good at what they do and I would imagine they put on a killer show. I guess I felt compelled to mention it since they were the only band I hadn’t talked about yet. Unless I missed someone else. Ha.

Here’s all the info, courtesy of the ol’ social media:

Planet Desert Rock Weekend IV banner

Planet Desert Rock Weekend returns for V4 with a 3 night heavy rock and roll party on January 25-26-27, 2024! After this year’s amazing couple nights, we are excited to bring a new and different lineup w/ some familiar bands from the Vegas Rock Revolution family blended in as always. The unique thing about PDRW is that you have your days to do things in Vegas. Shows start in the early evenings each night and all shows are at one venue each day.

Vegas Rock Revolution is super psyched to have Sasquatch and Freedom Hawk returning to Planet Desert Rock Weekend along with local riffmasters Sonolith!

6 more bands to be announced to finish the lineup. This will be 3 days in Vegas you will not forget.

Presale Special for 3 day packages including a poster bundle option. Ticket link below
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planet-desert-rock-weekend-iv-january-25-26-27-2024-tickets-711681026107?aff=oddtdtcreator

Facebook Event –> https://www.facebook.com/events/271023039042876

Planet Desert Rock Weekend IV
January 25-26-27 , 2024
Las Vegas
Nights 1 +2 at Count’s Vamp’d
Night 3 at The Usual Place (Downtown)

The first round of band announcements are:

Sasquatch
Freedom Hawk
Scorpion Child
Spiralarms (Reunion Show)
Borracho
Sandveiss
Black Elephant
Mezzoa
Sonolith

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Planet Desert Rock Weekend IV teaser

Sasquatch, Live in Tilburg, NL, Aug. 20, 2023

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Dispatch from SonicBlast 2023: Day One

Posted in Features, Reviews on August 11th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

SonicBlast Fest 2023 day 1 sq

08.10.23 – Thu. – Festival grounds

Before show

Day one. Also night one. There’s about two hours until Desert’smoke kick things off on Stage 3, but I got here early I guess basically to start writing and scope out where shade could be found. It’s not egregiously hot — I suspect the fact that the ocean is just over the large sand dune behind me has something to do with that, and the breeze is pleasant. I got a water bottle that I’ll keep all weekend barring disaster and sat down under an umbrella by one of the row of food trucks off to the side of the grounds, adjacent to the third stage.

I’ve had four espressos in about the last three hours, and so count myself as awake. There is a little cafe next to where I’m staying that has been very kind, though I think the guy running the hotel suspects I’m hiding more than one person in the room and walking back in with two tiny paper cups, which he definitely noticed, probably didn’t help my case. Nobody else, dude. Just trying to pry my eyes open.

Slept about six hours and got up, showered, grabbed coffee, finished the review of last night correcting a bunch of typos resulting from writing on my phone and no doubt missing many others. For some reason every time I try to swipe the word ‘album’ it thinks I’m talking about someone named Alvin. As you might imagine, it comes up regularly. These are the crosses to bear on a long rock and roll weekend in coastal Europe with the sun shining and the breeze blowing. To be sure, I’ve had it far worse.

Checked in on The Patient Mrs. and The Pecan to see how they were getting on, and of course they were doing just fine in the early morning at home. Today is long — I’ll still be here 12 hours from now, again barring disaster — and a quick video chat felt good to touch ground before spending the rest of the day in an ether cloud of riffs and volume. I’m curious to see how I hold up, but right now I feel pretty okay, if I can dare to say so. I’m here, which is amazing in itself.

Here’s the day:

Desert’smoke

Desert'smoke (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Groovy and spacious, Lisbon instrumental four-piece Desert’smoke eased the afternoon open with warm heavy psychedelic meandering offset by moments of heavier, riff-led roll and a bit of noisier slide guitar in the end. I wouldn’t call the sound groundbreaking, but I don’t think they’re trying to be. The material they played had character though in how smoothly it shifted from one stretch to the next, solos traded between the two guitars reaping applause along the way, and the crowd in front of the third stage was into it for more than just the shade under the tent where all sets to this point have taken place. An easy nod to get lost in, which means they’re doing it right, as 2019’s Karakum (discussed here) will attest, with some lighter touches of prog to complement the trippier aspects and the grounded riffs. If you’re the type to close your eyes at a show and figure out where the music takes you, they’d be a perfect candidate for that.

Etran de L’Aïr

Etran de L'Air (Photo by JJ Koczan)

First band on the main stage — Stage 2, as it happens, which is on the left as you walk into the festival site — and they had the crowd dancing, mixing West African and rock musics together with an emphasis in rhythmic fluidity and extra-tasteful bass working in kind with the twisting guitar and the uptempo drums. Their home country of Niger recently saw its government overthrown, which is a hell of a thing to happen while you’re on tour in Europe. But as the soon-to-be 5,000-someodd people attending SonicBlast this weekend continued to trickle in, they were greeted by an engaging presence and a reminder of the often overlooked history of African rock, and psych rock particularly. You could find room to move up front, maybe even a bit of shade if you were lucky — I have a spot near a shaded fance and even a chair to sit in while writing this, so feel like I’m risking almost too much luxury, but it’s still early in the day. And by the time they were finishing up, the place was packed. Good. I hope they get home safe.

Mythic Sunship

Mythic Sunship (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Coming from Copenhagen, instrumentalists Mythic Sunship played in the likely-coveted 4:20 slot, swapping with Death Valley Girls for some yet-unknown reason. Their 2022 LP, Light/Flux (review here), was released through Tee Pee Records, and they brought a similar purposeful-in-the-jam sensibility to the live set. Humble heavy-prog? I guess that was a thing bound to happen. After Etran de L’Aïr, they came across thicker in tone as they would, but the guitar was able to float above the sharp turns of bass and drums beneath, the two sides coming together for well-placed peaks and valleys. It was fun to watch the audience shift over to the other main stage. “Okay, everybody take 35 steps to your right!” But while they were a surprise in that timeslot, Mythic Sunship by daylight was an unabashed joy and heavy to boot — though they had me wondering if it’s weird to play in front of a giant photo of yourself projected onto a screen — with runs of less guitar woven through the songs and a sensibility able to burst into a rock riff and drive that point home, not quite shape-shifting but making transitions that not every band could while sounding sure-footed and explorational at the same time, tipping into psych here and there but with clear direction in mind. I should probably buy that CD. Maybe a couple of them. Their last song was a particular burner and you could hear cheering before they were even done.

Sasquatch

Sasquatch (Photo by JJ Koczan)

That finish was as much a lead-in as L.A.’s Sasquatch could ever hope for, and 10-minute changeovers between bands — which you can do when you have the entire set on the stage next door to load out and in and get everything set up — assures forward momentum. I had been saying hi to the Sasquatch guys earlier, and seeing guitarist/vocalist Keith Gibbs writing out the setlist, took my phone out and snapped a picture as a goof. Bad call. He got mad, grabbed his Sharpie and pieces of paper, and was gone before I could even apologize. I felt pretty bad about it, despite the assurances of bassist Jason “Cas” Casanova and drummer Craig Riggs that it was fine, he was pissed about other stuff, etc. So yeah, stupid for even adding to whatever frustration existed prior. I was just kidding around. That photo got deleted off my phone and I’m never looking to invade privacy. One more reason I’m best sitting in front of a laptop. Lesson learned. Again.

They had some technical issues that caused them to begin upwards of two minutes late, but once they started, they were every bit the force they’ve come. I don’t know how you leave a Sasquatch set not thinking of them as one of the best currently active pure heavy rock bands from America, Gibbs paying homage to guitar gods of yore and belting out new and old material with a delivery the reach of which has only grown over the 20-ish years of the band, Cas and/or Riggs backing at various points, all three locked in solid for the duration. There were not a lot of people milling around while they played. Dinner could wait, and so it did. Crowd surfing out front as they chugged Jack Daniels. A new album next year, maybe, would be a thing to look forward to. They did have new stuff in the set, a song called “This Heart is So Lonely,” and that’s always a good sign; you might recall when they were interviewed here earlier this year, they said they were recording in May. They’re the kind of band that gets people into this music in the first place. And then they (completely unnecessarily) shouted me out before “Destroyer,” said a few very nice things, which just about obliterated me, never mind floored. Thanks guys. And sorry again. We’re all heart emojis forever as far as I’m concerned. I went to the merch tent after they played and many sweaty hugs were exchanged. It’s a high bar to set but I’m gonna see if I can go the second half-plus of this day without making an ass of myself.

Crippled Black Phoenix

Crippled Black Phoenix (Photo by JJ Koczan)

It’s been so long since the last time I saw Crippled Black Phoenix, I had to stop what I was doing and look it up. You know when it was? 2019, at Roadburn (review here). So not actually terrible unless you count the fact that the span of 2020-’21 was eight years long. Still, that’s two Crippled Black Phoenix records ago; their latest is Banefyre (review here), the bleak brilliance of which made hearing it an act of emotional labor. They’re a challenging band anyway, expansive goth metal that’s all of those things and not really any of them. For an intro to one of their songs they had the same tune the ice cream truck by my house does, and there was definitely a part of me that perked up because I knew if my kid heard it she’d be chasing it down running in the middle of the street. Nope, just Crippled Black Phoenix adding atmosphere to atmosphere, as they will. I didn’t see any sad shuffle-dancing, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, and it continues to be incredible how much this band exist in their own world in terms of style, and how that manages to be true even though they have a different lineup every time I see them, this one with two keyboardists, two lead singers, three guitars, one bass, one drums, and to their credit, they were nowhere near too much, and the rhythm section stood up to the task of pushing all that weight. Tonal and existential. And I would say it was weird seeing them by daylight, but the truth is it didn’t matter. They bring their own clouds.

Spy

Spy (Photo by JJ Koczan)

A not-insignificant landing to stick, going from Crippled Black Phoenix’s ultra-brood to the darkly thrashy hardcore metal of Spy, who are the most outwardly aggressive act thus far into the fest, and who plied their wares with persistent intensity. They had a circle pit going, were nastier than Scatterbrainiac last night for residing on the same genre spectrum, and actually, the more I think about it, the more sense their place on the bill makes, and the more every band today has been up to something of their own. They finished 15 minutes early, as a hardcore band might do here, but figure if you slowed their songs down to the average speed around here, they might’ve hit the mark, temporal mechanics notwithstanding. For sure they got their point across. I don’t think anyone was arguing with the chance to grab a bite to eat, a beer and so forth, but they did well with a crowd that’s at least somewhat not their own. Sometimes you want that kind of catharsis. I ain’t arguing.

Acid King

Acid King (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Ah, Acid King. A balm for my sunburnt skin. “Mind’s Eye” from this year’s stellar Beyond Vision (review here) followed by “Coming Down From Outer Space” from 2015’s Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere (discussed herereview here) and “2 Wheel Nation” from III (discussed here) a decade prior. What a starting three to leave you on the doorstep of “Electric Machine” from the stoner rock omega that is 1999’s Busse Woods (featured herediscussed here) tone dense enough that you could feel the ground shake. Founding guitarist/vocalist Lori S. is joined by the ace-in-sleeve rhythm section of bassist/synthesist Bryce Shelton and drummer Jason Willer, who also played on the latest record, and it was my first time seeing this lineup but they sounded incredible. And as much as Acid King are considered a legendary band in underground heavy, I don’t think they get nearly enough credit for the lessons in grooves, riffs and the ability of a song to be outrageously heavy and still laid back, mellow. “Destination Psych” into “Beyond Vision” into “Color Trails.” That’s a fucking jam. Look. If you wanna pick favorites, Acid King are high on my list and as far as I’m concerned, stoner rock doesn’t exist without them. AND they’re growing as a band after three decades since starting out. There’s not a lot of bands I could listen to any time, regardless of mood or circumstance, but Acid King are always more than welcome in my ears. And with the kind of volume they had at SonicBlast, only more so. It was full across both stages, and they brought the sun down. Glorious.

Death Valley Girls

Death Valley Girls (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Second band of the day from Los Angeles. Planet Earth is weird. Death Valley Girls took off running at the outset and only really stopped to say thanks and how strange it was for them since their normal singer was stuck in L.A. unless I completely misinterpreted what they were saying between songs, which is possible because I’m old and have hearing damage. I’m not sure the crowd knew the difference. I wouldn’t have if they’d said anything. Nothing seemed missing from their arrangements, with vocals handled by their bassist and another singer with a floor tom — which I wholly support; more floor toms, and I’m not being sarcastic — and they weren’t any looser than their heavy garage psych meets ’90s alt rock vibe warranted. Mostly uptempo but not rushed sounding, they seemed to dare toward fun in a made it almost too perfect they were playing the same day as Crippled Black Phoenix — one of whose six-stringers had an explicit ‘no fun’ sticker on the body of his guitar — and that went over well. I don’t know how familiar the crowd was generally, but I didn’t know them and whatever their situation was lineup-wise that perhaps was the reason why they switched slots with Mythic Sunship, they acquitted themselves well. I’d check out a record, gladly.

OFF!

OFF (Photo by JJ Koczan)

I was neither cool enough nor the right kind of uncool enough to be a punker, but even I know who the fuck Keith Morris is, and he’s my favorite of the various singers Black Flag had during their original run. The First Four Years, man. Their moniker taken from yet another brand of bug repellant, OFF! is Morris (lest we forget to mention Circle Jerks), guitarist Dimitri Coats, bassist Autry Fulbright II and drummer Justin Brown, and the crowd was packed in front of the stage 20 minutes before they went on, buzzing. I had gone to get coffee, and that turned out to be well timed ahead of their set, which made traditionalist hardcore punk sound new in a seemingly impossible way. They put out their first record in eight years (their fourth overall), Free LSD, in 2022, and they’re at the top of the bill tonight to support it, though not playing last by any stretch. They were unipolar in their manic push and gallop, and Morris was very much at the center of the circus. I don’t own an OFF! record and I’m not sure I’ve ever written about them since their inception in 2010 (I checked that and it’s true save for the announcement they were playing here), but having now seen them, I’m glad I did, which puts me in decent company I think with just about everyone here. Stripped down as it would have to be, but holy shit that’s loud.

Hällas

Hällas (Photo by JJ Koczan)

This was my second time seeing Hällas in about two months, so safe to say their futurist space progressive rock was fresh in mind. They had been warmly welcomed at Freak Valley (review here) and were perhaps more so here, with the crowd at the front of the barricade singing along, fist-pumping and so on. Riffs a-blazin’, keyboard with that gorgeous proggy krautrock sound that’s 50 years old and still ‘The Sound of Tomorrow!’ (to be read in a big booming voice), they were on, though to be honest, this is the third time I’ve caught them live and I’ve never come away disappointed. Are they likely to take over the world with their theatrical heavy space whatnot? Probably no. But in another abrupt aesthetic shift, they followed OFF!’s set with textures and a presence that was no less their own. I think I might like this band. Anything but that! Not another band! Nonetheless, they’ve been at this for at least 12 years now, so while they’re a young band in my head, they’re ab established band, and it seems like maybe it’s time for me to dig into their records for really real and see where I finally stand. 2022’s Isle of Wisdom a good place to start? Guess I’ll find out. I remembered “Star Rider,” which is on their first LP, so that’s something. I’ll figure it out. Party like it’s 1975. I swear I saw meteors steak the sky when they were done. Conjure the perseids.

Kadavar

Kadavar (Photo by JJ Koczan)

It’s been a very long tone (really) since I saw Kadavar last. Three or four records, like. The Berlin-based classic heavy rockers — who in the interim have put themselves on the path to become a classic band as well — added second guitarist and backing vocalist Jascha Kreft to become a four-piece, and hearing them play older songs like “All Our Thoughts” or even “Die, Baby, Die” from 2017’s For the Dead Travel Fast (review here) — I guess it’s all pre-lineup change since it’s not like they’ve done a record since March when Kreft’s joining was announced — but you could hear the difference this six added strings were making in the fullness of their sound, Kreft on a long riser with drummer Tiger while guitarist/vocalist Lupus Lindemann and bassist Simon “Dragon” Bouteloup held it down on the stage, swing and strut to spare. What songwriters they are. Here’s a Kadavar track you haven’t heard in about six years. No worries, you’ll remember it. Their sound has expanded since their early days of vintage worship, but no matter where they go, they bring the songs with them. And with Kreft serving keyboard/synth and backing vocal duties as well, they’ll likely keep growing. That ethic, the memorable craft, the not-tired-of-it-yet performance from all of them; it makes it easy to see them as one of the best heavy rock bands of their generation, with a legacy carved in stone and a refusal to stagnate that exists alongside an ability to blast out “Doomsday Machine” near the end of the set like they just wrote it. Bands like this don’t happen all the time. I already knew I let it go too long without catching a show, so that wasn’t news, but I’m glad as hell not to have missed this one.

Deathchant

Deathchant (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Amp blew in the first song. Maybe second. Early, either way, but they kept it going, got a new head and before much real-time had passed, Deathchant (the day’s third and final L.A. band) were ripping anew with their gritted-up dual-guitar/dual-vocal NWOBHM proselytizing. I won’t lie to you and say I stayed the whole time. It was getting on 2AM and I still had work to do writing and sorting photos, but rest assured they were loud enough that as I walked up toward the beach and off the fest grounds to make my way back to the hotel, I had the urge to put my earplugs back in. I probably should have, but was distracted as I walked out of the light and realized the sky I was standing beneath. To look up and see the Milky Way bifurcating a night’s stars that I don’t know, with the resonant low frequency wub of Deathchant behind me and the illusion of privacy in that very dark little stretch of beach between one boardwalk and the next, separated from everything I might’ve screwed up today and everything I didn’t. Me, neck craned to the cosmos above, riffs echoing in the distance. The only part that was weird was that it was real and I was living it. While Deathchant were kicking plenty of ass and leaving a mark in that regard, I think I’ll probably always associate them with that minute, maybe two, of my existence. Something they were part of that they’ll probably never know about. It’s quite a galaxy.

Back to the day’s various successes and failures. I failed at food. Had like three forks of the almond butter I brought from home (not mine; store bought; still good) before going to the fest and more when I got back to the room and that was it. On every level, the wrong choice, and it didn’t really feel like it was one. I’m doing my best.

Success? The day, really. I met more super-nice people, and apart from the misunderstanding with Gibbs from Sasquatch, I think I managed to go the entire 12-hour shift without directly alienating anybody. Maybe. And even that got worked out. I had my sunglasses on. He didn’t know it was me. Indeed, other shit going on. Sometimes you get wound tight and it doesn’t take much to set you off. I felt bad. I still do, but that’s how I roll. But it was a great day. I even saw the Ruff Majik guys again for a bit. They’re staying in the same place I am.

I also took over 1,300 pictures today, which I have to think I might not do if I was a better photographer. Ha. Anyhow, some of those will end up at the bottom here, but I’m not even going to start sorting them tonight because I’m so god damned tired. Good night, thanks for reading and, I promise before this is posted there will be more pics after the jump.

Read more »

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Ripplefest Texas 2023: Complete Lineup Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 18th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

I don’t feel the need to even really say anything here. The lineup speaks for itself. And those who go to this year’s RippleFest Texas will also speak of it, for years, probably in a similar way people now talk about having been at this or that Emissions From the Monolith when that was going on in Ohio. The stuff of legend, in other words. Yeah, you can put on a fest and try to make it cool and fun, or you can do something like this and make it the highlight of everybody who attends’ year.

Kudos to Lick of My Spoon Productions and Ripple Music on a job well done. This will be something special. Bands have been leaked out one at a time at intermittent daily intervals, but the final lineup is out as of today, and it’s stunning. A blend of generations, a reach from on end of the country to the other, and a swath of the heavy underground all rallied in one place for a few days, pre- and after-parties included. Fucking a. If you’re attending, count yourself lucky.

As seen on socials:

Ripplefest Texas 2023

Here it is! The full lineup for RippleFest Texas #3! This will be one for the ages with a stacked lineup and lots of special treats in between. Get your tickets now!

Amazing art by @1horsetown

* playing the Pre-Party
+ playing the Afterparty

King Buffalo, Acid King, Brant Bjork Trio, Sasquatch, Wo-Fat, Fatso Jetson, Mondo Generator, Unida, The Well+, The Atomic Bitchwax, Telekinetic Yeti*, Duel, Forming the Void, Hippie Death Cult, High Desert Queen*, Avon, War Cloud, Rubber Snake Charmers, Spirit Mother+, Kind, Nick Oliveri, Thunder Horse, Royal Sons+, Restless Spirit*, (Big) Pig, Fostermother, Dead Feathers+, Rainbows Are Free, Warlung*, Sun Voyager, Red Mesa, Dunes, Tia Carrera+, Mr. Plow, The Heroine*, Michael Rudolph Cummings, The Absurd+, GoodEye*, Red Beard Wall, God Damn Good Time Band+

Plus a “Legends of the Desert and Friends” jam session to close out Saturday night!

And as always, the visuals by The Mad Alchemist Liquid Light Show

All-Access passes are SOLD OUT! All we have left are 2 Day Passes and Pre/Afterparty tickets available. Many more bands to be announced! Get your tickets now before the full lineup is revealed and the ticket price goes up!

FESTIVAL TIX: https://bit.ly/faroutxripplefest
PREPARTY TIX: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ripplefest-texas-pre-party-tickets-548171905927
AFTERPARTY TIX: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ripplefest-texas-afterparty-tickets-548185095377
FB EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1351567998746933/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LOMSProductions
https://www.instagram.com/LOMSProductions/
http://www.lickofmyspoon.com/
https://linktr.ee/Lickofmyspoon

King Buffalo, “Regenerator” live at Sonic Whip 2023

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Sasquatch Announce European Tour

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 1st, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Not quite a month ago, Los Angeles heavy rockers Sasquatch announced a Fall UK-plus-Dublin tour that will run for two weeks this November. Their name has been added to a bunch of summer festivals — among them Free & Easy, Rock im Wald, SonicBlast, Aquamaria, on and on and on, with probably more to come — and with some TBAs still on the list, the trio have now unveiled the full scope of their summer abroad. Currently slated to hit Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark, France and Spain, they’ll cover a healthy amount of the continent this trip, and don’t be surprised if it’s not the last round of shows they announce for 2023. They may or may not get to Eastern Europe, Australia, or the US again before the New Year, but as they make ready to follow-up last year’s Fever Fantasy (review here), they’re never too far off from the next list of gigs on a poster.

Also worth noting they were just confirmed for SoCal Heavy Jam (info here). That’s in September, and yeah, they’re (mostly) based in Southern California, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if they got a tour together around it. Seems to just be how they do.

To wit:

Sasquatch European tour

SASQUATCH – Summer 2023 European Tour

Top of the morning to our European family. We’re coming back your way for summer vacation. Shall we schedule some time together at the pool?

More dates to be announced…

Sound of Liberation presents:

SASQUATCH SUMMER TOUR JUL-AUG 2023
26.07.2023 (DE) Karlsruhe, Alte Hackerei
27.07.2023 (DE) München, Free & Easy Festival
28.07.2023 (DE) Michelau, Rock im Wald
29.07.2023 TBA
30.07.2023 (NL) Rotterdam, Baroeg
31.07.2023 (DE) Münster, Rare Guitar
01.08.2023 TBA
02.08.2023 (DE) Düsseldorf, Pitcher
03.08.2023 TBA
04.08.2023 (AT) Feldkirch, Poolbar Fest
05.08.2023 (IT) Osoppo, Pietra Sonica Festival
06.08.2023 (IT) Novegro-Tregarezzo, Magnolia
07.08.2023 TBA
08.08.2023 TBA
09.08.2023 (CH) Bruno, PALP Festival
10.08.2023 (PT) Moledo, Sonic Blast
12.08.2023 (DE) Plattenburg, Aquamaria Festival
13.08.2023 TBA
14.08.2023 (DK) Kopenhagen, Stengade
15.08.2023 (DE) Berlin, Urban Spree
16.08.2023 TBA
17.08.2023 (DE) Hannover, Faust
18.08.2023 (DE) Cottbus, Blue Moon Festival
19.08.2023 (DE) Braunschweig, B 58
20.08.2023 TBA
21.08.2023 TBA
22.08.2023 (CH) Düdingen, Bad Bonn
23.08.2023 (FR) Marseille, Le Molotov
24.08.2023 (ES) Barcelona, Razzmatazz 3
25.08.2023 (ES) Hondarribia, P30
26.08.2023 (FR) TBA
27.08.2023 TBA

Previously announced UK & Ireland tour:
3.11.23 Great Yarmouth, UK | HRH Festival
4.11.23 Bournemouth, UK | The Anvil
5.11.23 Crumlin, UK | The Patriot
7.11.23 Belfast, UK | Voodoo
8.11.23 Dublin, IRE | Grand Social
9.11.23 Edinburgh, UK | Bannermans
10.11.23 Sheffield, UK | Network 3
11.11.23 Newcastle, UK | Cluny 2
12.11.23 Nottingham, UK | Rescue Rooms
13.11.23 Glasgow, UK | Ivory Blacks
15.11.23 Manchester, UK | Rebellion
16.11.23 Bristol, UK | Strange Brew
17.11.23 Milton Keynes, UK | Craufurd Arms
18.11.23 London, UK | Black Heart
Tickets on Sale Now – https://routeonebooking.tourlink.to/sasquatch2023

Sasquatch are:
Keith Gibbs – guitar/vocals
Jason “Cas” Casanova – bass
Craig Riggs – drums

www.sasquatchrock.us
www.facebook.com/sasquatchrocks
www.instagram.com/sasquatchrock
www.twitter.com/sasquatchrocks
http://store.sasquatchrock.us/

http://www.madoakrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MadOakRecords/

Sasquatch Interview w/ Keith Gibbs & Craig Riggs, 03.14.23

Sasquatch, Fever Fantasy (2022)

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SoCal Heavy Jam 2023 Announces Full Lineup; Tickets on Sale

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 1st, 2023 by JJ Koczan

A lot to dig here as SoCal Heavy Jam unfurls its 2023 lineup. The second edition of the Santee, CA-based festival at Full Circle Saloon will be held Sept. 30 and feature Unida and Sasquatch — at least the latter will be fresh off laying waste to RippleFest Texas the weekend prior — alongside ZedFormula 400Desert SunsMezzoaLords of DustSalem’s Bend and Whiskey & Knives. Of those, four are repeats from last year’s inaugural fest, and as the event is helmed by Formula 400 bassist Kip PageMezzoa guitarist/vocalist Ignacio “Nacho” Maldonado and Desert Suns vocalist Jason Busiek, it’s not a huge surprise they’d be back on board for the jam. Lords of Dust are the other repeat offender, and well, maybe they’re just awesome live. That happens sometimes.

The impression I got last year — not that I went, but from the announcement and the way the thing rolled out — was that true to its name, the SoCal Heavy Jam is more in the spirit of a casual all-dayer rather than an all-consuming festival, though one never knows how these things will solidify over a period of years. As it stands, with nine bands, the day is plenty packed, and sure to be a good time for those who manage to make it out. Maybe that’s you, maybe not. Personally, I’m hoping that by this time, new releases from both Sasquatch and Unida will have been at least announced if not released, which would of course add a bit of urgency here but also make life better generally as quality heavy rock will do. A few months before we get there, so fingers crossed.

The lineup was revealed in straightforward fashion via social media the other day and looks like this:

SoCal Heavy Jam 2023 poster

2nd Annual SoCal Heavy Jam at Full Circle Saloon – September 30th, 2023

2nd Annual SoCal Heavy Jam at Full Circle Saloon featuring – Unida, Sasquatch, ZED, Formula 400, Desert Suns, Mezzoa, Lords of Dust, Salem’s Bend, Whiskey and Knives!

Free Food – 4pm – 6pm

Drink Specials

$20 Presale – $30 at the Door Day of Show

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-socal-heavy-jam-tickets-623742078347

Portion of the proceeds go to NSEFU – Wild Life Conservation. Founder – Coe Lewis

https://www.facebook.com/SoCal.Heavy.Jam
https://instagram.com/socal_heavy_jam

Unida, Live at Into the Void 2022

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Sasquatch Announce UK & Ireland Tour Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on April 5th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

If you caught the recent interview posted here with Keith Gibbs and Craig Riggs of SasquatchCas was at work — you might recall this tour was mentioned in oops-not-yet-announced fashion, so maybe it’s not a surprise that the band will head to the UK and Ireland for a round of tour dates this Fall, keeping company with Blind River for the run, but always good to get the actual wheres and whens of a thing. The veteran Los Angeles power trio will go in support of their 2022 album, Fever Fantasy (review here), after making a headlining appearance last month at The Electric Highway in Canada, and they’re set to do an also-yet-unannounced European stint as well beforehand, running at least from July’s Rock im Wald in Germany to SonicBlast Fest in Portugal this August.

By then, their next album could already be in the can. One imagines too that their slot at Ripplefest Texas this September will have club dates before and/or after, and that 2024 will bring not just the LP but another slew of gigs and tours, since that’s how they do. Next year will also mark two full decades since the release of their self-titled debut, and though they’re a band whose focus is consistently on moving forward, the next thing, etc., that would seem to be an occasion worth celebrating one way or another.

Bottom line: dudes stay busy. Note these dates are put on by Route One Booking, the UK agency founded by Ben Ward of Orange Goblin. They were put on socials as follows:

Sasquatch uk Ireland tour fever fantasy

Come this November, we’re off to the UK and Ireland for a three week run with our dudes in Blind River! This will be unbelievably beertastic.

Route One Booking
Tickets on Sale Now – https://routeonebooking.tourlink.to/sasquatch2023

3.11.23 Great Yarmouth, UK | HRH Festival
4.11.23 Bournemouth, UK | The Anvil
5.11.23 Crumlin, UK | The Patriot
7.11.23 Belfast, UK | Voodoo
8.11.23 Dublin, IRE | Grand Social
9.11.23 Edinburgh, UK | Bannermans
10.11.23 Sheffield, UK | Network 3
11.11.23 Newcastle, UK | Cluny 2
12.11.23 Nottingham, UK | Rescue Rooms
13.11.23 Glasgow, UK | Ivory Blacks
15.11.23 Manchester, UK | Rebellion
16.11.23 Bristol, UK | Strange Brew
17.11.23 Milton Keynes, UK | Craufurd Arms
18.11.23 London, UK | Black Heart

Sasquatch are:
Keith Gibbs – guitar/vocals
Jason “Cas” Casanova – bass
Craig Riggs – drums

www.sasquatchrock.us
www.facebook.com/sasquatchrocks
www.instagram.com/sasquatchrock
www.twitter.com/sasquatchrocks
http://store.sasquatchrock.us/

http://www.madoakrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MadOakRecords/

Sasquatch Interview w/ Keith Gibbs & Craig Riggs, 03.14.23

Sasquatch, Fever Fantasy (2022)

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SonicBlast 2023 Adds 16 More Bands to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 29th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

I’m not going to pretend to have heard every band in this 16-strong announcement from Portugal’s SonicBlast Fest 2023, and honestly, that’s part of the appeal as far as I’m concerned. And if you’re looking for bigger names, certainly bringing in The Black Angels and Thuston Moore of Sonic Youth ought to qualify. But check out Mythic Sunship being confirmed, Mirror Queen heading abroad once again from their home in New York, Dozer supporting their first album in 15 years, Crippled Black Phoenix bringing their thoroughly English gloom to the otherwise sunshiny proceedings, Sasquatch pushing their forever-tour further presumably after completing the recording of their next LP, Danava and Love Gang both supporting new releases, on and on.

Is this the part where I tell you how killer the lineup looks and perhaps list off the various parts of my body I’d cut off in order to attend? Yeah, probably. But my own escapism aside, you can see for yourself what SonicBlast has put together in terms of a diverse range of sounds based around a unifying heavy ideal, and between the new names and those previously confirmed, it seems like it’s going to be a special couple days for those attending as well as the bands actually playing the thing. Maybe that could be you too.

Here’s the latest from social media:

SonicBlast Fest 2023 new announce

We’re so proud and honored to announce 16 more bands that’ll blow our minds this summer, at SonicBlast Fest 2023 — The Black Angels, Thurston Moore Group, Bombino, Dozer, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX (official), Imarhan, Hällas, Scowl, SPY, Sasquatch, LOVE GANG, Mythic Sunship, Etran de L’Aïr, DANAVA, Mirror Queen and scatterbrainiac!!

Join us in this crazy heavy psychedelic weekend by the ocean at Praia da Duna dos Caldeirões, Âncora, Portugal!

*** many more to be announced soon ***

Full festival tickets are already on sale at BOL (https://garboyl.bol.pt/Comprar/Bilhetes/114471-sonicblast_fest_2023-garboyl_lives/Sessoes) and at masqueticket.com

Artwork by Branca Studio

https://www.facebook.com/sonicblastmoledo/
https://www.instagram.com/sonicblast_fest
https://sonicblastfestival.com/

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Video Interview: Sasquatch on Fever Fantasy, Touring Forever & More

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features on March 21st, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Sasquatch at Psycho Las Vegas 2022 (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Sasquatch are writing a new album. Maybe right this second. Guitarist/vocalist Keith Gibbs and drummer Craig Riggs (also Kind, Roadsaw, etc.) were getting ready to get to it for the day when I interrupted their morning coffee for the interview you can watch below — bassist Jason “Cas” Casanova (aka Casquatch, but maybe only in my head) was at work — and discussed openly their (admirably) ambitious plan to have it out by Fall 2023, recording while holed up somewhere for a week maybe in May.

If that seems like a quick turnaround from 2022’s Fever Fantasy (review here), there’s a bit of context necessary for understanding why it isn’t. In fact, the album was finished late in 2019, and as Sasquatch were getting their proverbial ducks in a row to tour for however long to support it through 2020 and probably 2021, lockdown hit. The decision was made to hold the record back until they could get on the road for it — which they did maybe a little sooner than some, but later than others as well — and that turned what would’ve been a highlight of 2020 into a highlight of 2022, the three-piece delivering a straight ahead studio reaffirmation of the chemistry and force of their stage presentation.

And since they’re self-releasing through Mad Oak Records, it’s not unrealistic to think they could have something pressed and out before the end of 2023, even if it would be the shortest span between full-lengths of their career. At some point, too, a band who tours so much should probably think about doing a live record. No news on that particular front, but you never know what’s going to happen until the band starts revealing things like yet-unannounced tour plans. Not saying that happens or anything. I guess you’ll have to watch to find out.

The occasion for this chat is the fact that this weekend Sasquatch headline the Obelisk-co-presented festival The Electric Highway (info here) in Calgary. Safe travels to them and best wishes to all attending, but whatever the excuse, it’s always good to check in with these guys and talk about travel, music, and anything else that might come up. Again, you’ll just have to watch, and thanks if you do.

Please enjoy:

Sasquatch Interview w/ Keith Gibbs & Craig Riggs, 03.14.23

Fever Fantasy by Sasquatch is out on Mad Oak Records and streaming below. More info at the links.

Sasquatch, Fever Fantasy (2022)

Sasquatch on Facebook

Sasquatch on Twitter

Sasquatch website

Sasquatch on Bandcamp

Mad Oak Records website

Mad Oak Studios on Facebook

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