Shout it from the hilltops: Tranquonauts are a real band. Are they a supergroup? I somehow doubt they’d use that word, which implies egotism and a kind of coked-up indulgence, but there’s no arguing with the lineup or the pedigree of the band’s members, from Melbourne, Australia’s Seedy Jeezus — guitarist/vocalist/sampler Lex Waterreus, bassist Paul Crick and drummer Mark Sibson; gentlemen all — at the core of the project, to Isaiah Mitchell of Cali epic-psych (mostly-)instrumentalists Earthless and Port Orchard, Washington’s Tony Reed, of Mos Generator, Big Scenic Nowhere, Constance Tomb, and others.
The latter party came aboard for 2 (review here), which was released in 2024, and now aligned to Kozmik Artifactz for release in Europe with Blown Music once again handling Australia and Echodelick Records holding down North American distribution, Tranquonauts reveal what they’ve apparently been building toward in the decade since their self-titled debut (review here) with the four-song collection, III. And the message of band-dom could hardly be clearer or more efficiently delivered on a record that’s still so spaced in terms of atmosphere, or that derives such clear pleasure in blending craft and expanse.
A sample at the beginning of opener “All Rise” (8:31) sets up a thread that runs through most of the release, and if you’d immediately go to the end of closer “S() Sigurnova” (9:38) to see if there’s one there to bookend, yes, there is. Assembled and I think in some cases — the line about “Tranquonauts are powering down” comes to mind — spoken by Waterreus, the samples are given a classic sci-fi feel, a grainy sound and discussion of rockets and post-WWII pulp-film vibes. They bring a sense of aesthetic to the proceedings and provide a backdrop uniting the material, but neither are they overused. After about a minute, “All Rise” launches into its central riff, and that it even has one feels declarative of their purpose.
I wouldn’t call it crunchy or crushing, but it’s more tense in its structure and insistent in a way that the fluidity of the band’s prior jams on prior records weren’t trying to be. Reed takes the lead vocal in the verse that ensues, but the structure begins to loosen as they push into the solo, and around 3:05, they land in a Mellotron-topped slowdown that becomes the point from which the jam takes off. Solos are shredded, I think Waterreus takes vocals for something of a verse, but the tempo has mellowed and the effect is more hypnotic and the listener is drawn in. There’s little chance of coming back from where they go, and they don’t, but a sample ties the end of “All Rise” to the beginning, and sets up the cover of UFO‘s “Space Child” (8:39) just the same.
Mitchell takes over on vocals, with acoustic and electric guitars backing and a subdued flow that meshes well with the jam the band just left behind, as well as the one on which they’re about to embark. Crick‘s bassline and Sibson‘s drums are probably never going to get the marquee position in the band with the three guitarist/vocalists on board, but they are nonetheless the glue keeping the songs together and righteous on their own. “Space Child” puts its jam in the middle, sounding part-improv, which one wouldn’t necessarily expect on a cover, but even before the halfway mark, the exploratory feel is paramount. The difference is that where “All Rise” didn’t come back around, “Space Child” does, gradually returning to ‘ground’ (relatively speaking) with intertwining shred and a stop before the last verse rounds out.
That’s the end of side A, and though “Space Child” didn’t actually have any samples in it, the one at the end of “All Rise” and another at the start of “Broken Star” (7:34) gives a sense of continuity just the same. The song comes in with rhythm and lead guitar before Waterreus‘ classic-soul verse unfolds, carrying to right about at 3:45, where finger-snap marks the beginning of the next outbound cosmic foray; a quiet build that wants nothing for payoff but is going to take its time getting there, which is ultimately to the strength of the song as a whole. It might be a plotted progression, but the solo(s) over top feel vibrant and spontaneous just the same, and as it fades out, “Broken Star” transitions directly, mid-sampled-rumble, to the aforementioned finale/longest track, “”S() Sigurnova.”
A reference in the title to Sigur Ros coincides with the stated inspiration for the song, and the early, pre-verse float the band conjure is indeed a departure from, say, a UFO cover. Mellotron, still plenty of guitar around and softer vocals from Waterreus let “S() Sigurnova” flow, covering new ground without feeling out of place, with samples laced through between vocal lines before they gradually embark on their journey, Sibson crashing in at 3:43 accompanied by a twisting lead line on guitar (there’s also a solo happening) as the bed for the last dive into the liquefied far-out. As with “All Rise,” they make it clear that once they go, they’ll remain gone, and that’s how it happens, but they’re dynamic in that, bringing “S() Sigurnova” to a multi-guitar crescendo at around 8:45 before it starts to come apart and that last sample steps in to give a sense of completion to the LP.
It’s not that either of the two previous Tranquonauts albums were lacking cohesion, but if you listened to the first and then the second, a sense of refinement was working its way into their sound, and that continues on III. I still don’t know to what it will lead, if they’ll ever be the kind of band who write ‘straightforward’ material, but the balance they strike between off-the-cuff sonic adventuring and structure is evolving, has evolved to be what it is here. Tranquonauts will likely always be a side-project for those involved, owing to geographic spread almost as much as everyone else’s other commitments, but more than they had yet, III demonstrates a creative progression that is their own, separate and distinct from the members’ other groups. In other words, they sound like a real band more than they have to this point, and from here, they feel like they could go anywhere.
Tranquonauts, “All Rise” live at Freak Valley Festival 2026
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 15th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
The 2026 edition of Seattle’s Rain City Doom Fest will be held Dec. 18-19 at the appointed El Corazon and Funhouse, and the first four bands confirmed at YOB, King Woman, Earthless and Christian Mistress. Obviously a lot to like there as far as initial reveals for an independently-run festival go. It doesn’t say so, but one assumes at least YOB will be among the headliners if not YOB and King Woman both, but this is just the first reveal, so you can figure on context to follow as the festival actually takes shape. Righteous start, is the point I’m making.
Who’ll fill out the remainder of the lineup is of course still to be announced, but in years past, Rain City Doom Fest has hosted rad regional outfits like Hippie Death Cult, Merlock and Sorcia, so while you’re waiting for the next round of news from the festival, you can perhaps have some sense of where they might be headed or the kinds of bands who play — sludge, doom, rock, whathaveyou — but as a first-four this also kind of feels like forward growth in getting bigger bands to take part. I honestly don’t know if that’s the message Rain City Doom Fest are looking to send, but last year was headlined by Ragana and Acid King with Electric Citizen and Mizmor next on the poster. Maybe I’m splitting hairs with this entire train of thought.
Barring a miracle, I won’t be there to see it, but Rain City Doom Fest will doubtless be a banger regardless, and if you’re having the kind of afternoon I am thus far, maybe daydreaming about something, even that simple act of pretending to look forward to a thing, will help.
So here you go:
RAIN CITY DOOM FEST 2026!
YOB KING WOMAN EARTHLESS CHRISTIAN MISTRESS
+ many more TBA
December 18 + 19 at @elcorazonseattle / @funhouseseattle Seattle, WA
When I got back to the room after night one, I found that I’d left my SD card reader at home (it’s on the table next to my side of the couch; I saw it there before I left) and so had no way to transfer the day’s photos from my camera to my laptop. Fuckbuckets. I panic-texted The Patient Mrs., who generally speaking is magic, even across continents, but there wasn’t much she could do from New Jersey. My next panic text went to Matt Bacon, who came back with a camera store recommendation about five blocks down from the hotel. They opened at 10 on Saturday morning. It was very clearly as good as I was going to get, and I decided to sleep as much as I could if I wasn’t going to spend the next three hours sorting pics.
So I did. I had made plans for morning coffee with Howling Giant, and it turned out Tom Polzine had a reader he let me borrow so I could post the first day review, as well as this. I’m in debt to his generosity, and the coffee at that place around the corner from the hotel, the name of which I’ve already forgotten (again, because I was there in 2025 as well), but to which I’ll return if I’m fortunate enough to be here again next year, is pretty killer. I had to stop myself from buying a bag of beans, but I could eat about half a caesar salad and that felt like a godsend.
Went back to the room and finished the post, crashed a bit more but didn’t really sleep again from the morning, which I guess was fine since I survived. Called home to check in, always in a somewhat apologetic tone because I’m not there, but they of course were thriving as could only ever happen in my absence, so that’s fine. The Patient Mrs. had already checked me in for my flight at 10AM tomorrow, and of course that was on my mind all day. My night would end during The Sword for a Sunday 6AM wakeup, shower and go. Madness does not end.
Howling Giant’s soundcheck was quick and straightforward and among the more polite in terms of conversation that I’ve witnessed, though The Sword at Rockefeller a bit later you would never call rude either. They hit into a couple songs, which I was glad to see as I already knew I’d need to be out early, and was more than a bit dragging if you want honesty at the expense of cool. But they were one of the principal acts who taught the Millennials how to riff, and they’ve gotten due acclaim over the years — the hype when they came out was thick enough to stand on — but 20-odd years after the fact, the material holds up. It would be fun to see them later, even just for a little while. Earthless soundchecked next, which just felt like (and kinda was) me getting away with something.
Some more coffee and chat later, it was time for the actual show to start. Howling Giant were first at John Dee, and people were already waiting when I walked back in about 20 minutes before they went on. Their 2025 album, Crucible & Ruin (review here), remains fresh in mind, and though if I’m lucky I’ll see them at least three times this year, Desertfest Oslo being the first, it was also my first time seeing them as a four-piece with Adrian Zambrano on guitar, my first time seeing them since the record, and perhaps most crucially, my first time seeing them since bassist Sebastian Baltes reined in his formerly glorious locks for a shorter and doubtless lower maintenance look.
Opening night of their tour, opening the day to a crowded room — there was some unintentional feedback coming through from Zambrano’s guitar in the P.A. They’ll be at Desertfest Berlin on this run, and they finish at Freak Valley, which will likely also be a celebration but even though they didn’t cover “Song of Storms,” it was a set of banger after banger as their catalog has grown in he last decade since the first EP. The guitar thing stuck around and Polzine, Baltes and reminder-of-the-difference-a-great-creative-drummer-can-make drummer Zach Wheeler jammed slick while Zambrano got sorted, which took a couple minutes and some light electrical work, then a new head. The Marshall did the trick.
In absolute professional fashion, Zambrano entered the jam and wrapped it with a solo, then they were on to the next song with all the space of a beat, like nothing had happened. A blip at best in the momentum of their set. The place went off first when the guitar clicked on and then again when the song started. It was a rad move, smooth and no less confident in execution than the vocal harmonies been Wheeler and Polzine. In the end it was a monster set and it felt like the technical trouble only endeared them more to the room, as well as how they handled it. Must of what they played was Crucible & Ruin stuff, but the title-track of 2023’s clarion Glass Future (review here), and “Tempest and the Liar’s Gateway” slower but a definite highlight regardless. Even with Earthless getting ready to go on upstairs, I watched the whole set. My neck would be sore getting on the plane, but seriously, who cares about that when they’re closing with “Sunken City?” Fire emojis from here to Nashville.
I’m not sure what you’re supposed to say to an Earthless set other than “hey yes please.” The long-running Californian mostly-instrumental trio playing first assured Rockefeller would be packed early, and they dug in with about a 10-minute buildup and were onward from there with their signature immersive shred, guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba like a machine that gets on stage and does that thing, casting expanses of psychedelic rock, melting your brain and mine and everyone else’s like they do. You expect that from Earthless, and they delivered all the headspinning, all the twist and all the longform fluidity that’s promised when they’re on a bill. And also as one has come to expect over the years, they’re on plenty of bills over here between this, Desertfest in London and Berlin, Mitchell’s slated Tranquonauts appearance at Freak Valley in Germany, and so on.
Adjusting one’s perception of time, a half-hour was fine before you knew it and it felt like they had barely stopped to take a breath, because they hadn’t. I found a spot to sit and let the sound wash over for a bit and that’s always a good choice as regards the experience. The last time I saw them was SonicBlast 2023 (review here) in Portugal, and though the form of what they do never really changes unless it’s one of those times they do a tune or two with vocals or cover whichever heavy ’70s act it might be, every show is different and I was lucky to catch this one, even if I was so worn out my eyes were closing. It was a good thing I wasn’t stoned or I’d have been screwed. More water, more coffee like I was trying to burn a hole in the lining of my stomach, then back downstairs for Blackwater Holylight.
Granted I’m not chasing down all their press or anything, but I don’t see nearly enough people giving credit to Blackwater Holylight as heavygaze pioneers, and I assume that’s a sexism thing. Set to a kick you could feel in your chest and feet both because the floor was shaking, they had all the mist one would hope for in their sound — this would make them a fitting one-two with the grungeier Daevar a short time later — but I’d never seen them play as a trio before and it let their moments of push come through a little more directly, and that suited them as well. They packed the place out, as one would expect, and churned through enough brown-note tone that I thought I might need to go back to the hotel room, but were methodical enough in their delivery that the coolness in their sound became its own presence on stage. They’ve been at this a while now, so fair enough, but the last time I saw them was four years ago and their metallic delve is all the more refined now.
Maybe most prevalent of all was a sense of flow, and that made them kin to Earthless too, but on a much different path in terms of aesthetic. The sampled strings were welcome when they kicked in, but the band hardly stopped once they got going, and having momentum behind a sound so outwardly languid felt like a win in and of itself. They’ve been a vibe all along — even before everything was vibes — but the complexity that maturity has brought to their dynamic, as well as the continued prevalence of melody, made the corresponding crush even more theirs.
They brought out a second full stack for Conan at Rockefeller, and that was probably a reasonable thing to do. The UK omnidestroyers were on tour in the US recently, and did a show in Kingston, New York, with Geezer that I very much wanted to see but couldn’t as it conflicted with life, so catching them here was a bit of bruising reconciliation. They are who they are stylistically, and aggression has remained central, but they’ve gotten noisier along the way while holding firm to the tonal extremity of their earlier days. If I said they killed, I wouldn’t do so expecting anyone to be surprised, but it was so satisfying just the same to be flattened by their riffs and cathartic pummel.
I don’t know what movies were splicing together on the screen behind them while they played, but it was practical effects and violent wizardry just the same — could’ve been classics and I wouldn’t know because I’m a poseur philistine — but the visuals were an added atmospheric element to run alongside all that warhammering and punishment. I’m pretty sure somebody’s face fell off, so about as fitting as it gets. It would’ve been nice to see them without having to drive to NYC last month, but I’ll take hoping on a plane to Oslo and witnessing them at Desertfest Oslo for consolation anytime. I didn’t know it, but as exhausted as I was after Howling Giant finished, the much-bleaker gallop of “Battle in the Swamp” and “Levitation Hoax” was precisely what I needed to pick me up for the rest of the night ahead. Deathly, and even more brutal than the fart cloud I passed through getting photos on the balcony. Oh, humans.
Daevar were on soon — train don’t stop — and John Dee was ready. Their 2025 Sub Rosa LP (review here) was a deeper dive into slow-nod ’90s riffing, and it felt good to see them and recognize songs from the album, as they’ve continued to grow as songwriters over the last few years and fleshed out the murk of their beginnings. I heard a little Type O Negative even, which is something just about bound to land with me. And they’ve progressed quickly. To wit, I enjoyed seeing them for the first time at Freak Valley 2024 (review here), but the Sub Rosa material has a richness that stands out. They felt in conversation with Blackwater Holylight, as anticipated, but diverged as well into their own roll, and that was dense and engrossing.
They spoke out against injustices against women in Iran, which was the only political sentiment I’d heard from the stage in the two days of Desertfest. I’m all for escapism, don’t get me wrong — just as an example, I’m in Norway this weekend — but I respect having something to say and saying it and, frankly, doom needs more of that and less “I’m not political,” though if you think human rights are a political issue, that’s part of the problem too. It was refreshing to hear, despite the fact that every time I think about the situation in my home country I want to cry as much as rage against it. I could go on here, and probably should, though it feels a bit like voidward screaming. Either way, it has been encouraging to see (also hear) Daevar come into their own, and a pleasure to watch them on stage again.
I did some socializing — it recently occurred to me most of my interpersonal communicating not with my family or at concerned meetings at my daughter’s school happens at shows, and that that’s a thing worth investing in — ahead of Dozer, but there was no, no, no fucking way I was missing their set. Not even for pleasant conversation. Every time I’ve seen Dozer they’ve leveled the place, and every time I have seen them has felt like a gift, and this was the same. Fredrik Nordin led the crowd in singing happy birthday to Tommi Holappa, as if the songs weren’t sweet enough, and the band ran through a succession of inimitable grooves like the masters they are. Similar to King Buffalo last night, they weren’t the headliner but they were my headliner, if you know what I mean.
There was a point in my life when I thought I’d never see Dozer. That seems so sad now, on the occasion of my fifth time doing so, and they are a reminder of how fortunate I am to have the life I do, here and at home. I don’t believe in a soul, but mine felt awfully good watching Dozer anyhow, and standing over by Johan Rockner’s side of the stage with Sebastian Olsson’s snare cutting through the low end was a gorgeous experience. I didn’t understand most of what Nordin said from the stage between songs, but even in the photo pit as they were starting, you had to be into it. Electric in the figurative and literal sense. I know I’m not here to pick favorites. It’s not what I do and not who I want to be, but I was a Dozer fan before I ever wrote about them and the ensuing two decades-plus has only endeared them further. One of the best heavy rock bands of all time — all. time. — and an onstage force unto themselves. Highlight of the weekend, highlight of the year. My only complaint is the hour went too quick. A singular tumult.
Where do you go from there? The answer was to extremity, and fair enough for the superlative aural weight of Primitive Man, legit giving Conan a run for their money in tone while embracing a nastiness born from sludge but that has mutated into something next-stage that I don’t have a name for other than monstrous. A huge consuming thing, built to tear flesh from bone, stylistically speaking. I had gotten to chat with their tour manager early in the day, and I wasn’t aware that this show closes out a 35-date tour for Primitive Man, but they were hardly limping to the finish. Lumbering, yes, but strident in existential victory. They are a challenging band, and always have been, but if you can hang in with them, all that onslaught has a reward beyond simply making it through, and they capture something inhuman about the world that has a value bordering on the literary. They’ve pushed themselves as artists all the while, and while there’s rampant disdain in their music, the sheer physical presence of their sound is undeniable.
I did my best, but it was getting late and my head was half out the door, at the risk of honesty. The Sword would be on soon, but with Primitive Man still bashing away to headline the night at John Dee, I said a round of preemptive goodbyes to a few of the incredible people here and reiterated how fortunate I felt to have been at Desertfest Oslo again, which is really the only way I have of putting it. The next morning I’d fly back to Jersey and be glad to get there, but this was a special couple days and as much for the community as the acts on the bill, though, Dozer.
Some day I’ll watch a full The Sword set again. This wasn’t that day and I knew that coming in, but that doesn’t mean they made it easy to go. I found myself hanging in the back of the room trying to convince myself to stay put, but the go impulse almost always wins. I don’t know what The Sword’s plan is as they make the inevitable transition from reunion-band to working-band, but riffs have always been on their side and 20 years after people used to complain about “hipster metal,” they stand tall having proved themselves right over and over and over. If you need a convenient metaphor for the history of heavy rock more broadly, there you go.
I thank you for reading.
Thank you to Ole, Preben, Dan, and everyone at Desertfest Oslo for having me back. Thanks to Tom from Howling Giant for the SD reader when I needed it (and have a great tour; see you at Freak Valley). Thank you Matt Bacon and Kaia.
Thank you to The Patient Mrs. for the time and the support from home. I can’t even begin to tell you how tired I’m going to be when I get home, but hell, I needed this. Really. From Thulsa Doom to Russian Circles and Earthless to The Sword, there wasn’t one single minute I regretted coming here, and if I’m so lucky as to be invited back, I’ll be here in a fucking minute so long as that minute is also an eight-hour flight from Newark. Thanks to The Patient Mrs. for booking my flight.
The lesson of the weekend is the heavy underground is a treasure and a sanctuary. It was a pleasure to come here and be obliterated by it. To break myself on it like a rock tossed off a bridge onto more rocks. Like I said, I needed this.
More pics after the jump. No posts tomorrow, May 11.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 24th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
To drill down the unlikelihood of a third Tranquonauts record, first you still need to get over that of the first one a decade ago (review here), and the second one that followed in 2024 (review here), and if we’re honest I’m still kind of surprised. The collaboration between Isaiah Mitchell of Earthless, Australian heavy blues rockers Seedy Jeezus, and Tony Reed of Mos Generator (now also Pentagram) have never sounded more distinctly like a band than they do on the four songs of III, or 3 — I’m not sure which is preferred — with opener “All Rise” giving heavy prog presence across a stately, plotted course. Clearly they’ve moved beyond the jams.
The UFO cover “Space Child” resolves with a bit of funk-boogie as though it didn’t spend much of its time in a partly-acoustic ’70s contemplation, while “Broken Star” has a slower, gruffer unfolding but more shred at the finish, and though the apparent Sigur Ros homage “S() Sigurnova” is duly atmospheric, it also has movement at its center. There’s more persona in the 34 minutes of III than anything Tranquonauts have yet produced, and it doesn’t feel like a coincidence that this record will coincide with their first live appearances, happening in Europe with the first test run at Freak Valley 2026.
The PR wire brought copious narrative for background:
TRANQUONAUTS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM III
A boundary-dissolving new chapter from the Australian–American psychedelic supergroup
Following growing international acclaim for their exploratory second album II, Tranquonauts return with their most ambitious statement yet: III, a sweeping new work that continues the deep musical dialogue between members of Australian psychedelic rock torchbearers Seedy Jeezus, Isaiah Mitchell (of Earthless), and guitarist/producer Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Big Scenic Nowhere, Stone Axe).
Set for release in 2026, III expands the Tranquonauts universe even further – part cosmic transmission, part heavy improvisational ritual, part fearless compositional experiment. A JOURNEY CONTINUES
Since its inception, Tranquonauts has existed as a creative outpost for ideas too expansive, too strange, or too genre-fluid for the members’ main bands. It is a place where progressive rock, motorik groove, deep psychedelia, cosmic jazz, ambient drift and volcanic heaviness can coexist.
Their previous album, II, earned cult status among adventurous listeners for a structure as audacious as it was immersive: two side-long pieces, with side one often described as pure progressive rock in its most transportive form, while side two unfolded as a kraut-orgy of massive proportions – a hypnotic, ecstatic surge of repetition, propulsion and sonic overload.
Critically and artistically, II established Tranquonauts as far more than a side project. It revealed a group exploring music they may never have had the opportunity to write or release in their other bands – yet music that unmistakably captures the essence of what they all deeply love.
ENTER III
On III, that spirit continues – bolder, stranger and more expansive.
The new album contains four expansive 9 -10 minute compositions, each revealing a different facet of the group’s boundary-pushing vision:
‘All Rise’ A crushing descent into heavy riffage, balancing volcanic weight with exploratory improvisation
‘Broken Star’ A surprising turn toward traditional rock/pop songcraft, where melody and classic songwriting instincts meet psychedelic colour
‘S() Sigurnova’ An Icelandic post-rock inspired piece, unfolding in slow-burning crescendos, glacial textures and widescreen emotional atmosphere
‘Space Child’ A radical reinterpretation of Space Child, the 1970s classic by UFO – transformed through the Tranquonauts prism into a cosmic voyage all its own
While rooted in the exploratory energy of II, the new record pushes further into dynamic contrast, deeper collective interplay, and a broader emotional and sonic range. The result is perhaps the most stylistically adventurous Tranquonauts release yet, moving effortlessly from crushing heaviness to melodic classicism, from meditative post-rock drift to outer-space reinterpretation.
Where II opened portals, III steps through them.
A MEETING OF DISTINCT VOICES
The chemistry at the core of Tranquonauts remains singular.
Seedy Jeezus bring the restless experimentalism and psychedelic intensity that has defined their celebrated body of work.
Isaiah Mitchell, revered for his transcendent lead work in Earthless, contributes his unmistakable melodic fire and improvisational reach.
Tony Reed, one of underground heavy psych’s most respected architects, brings production depth, compositional sophistication and sonic daring that help shape the project’s wide-screen vision.
Together, they create something none would make alone.
NOT A SIDE PROJECT – A COSMIC COLLABORATION
What began as an exploratory collaboration has evolved into a fully realized creative force.
Tranquonauts is not about escaping their primary bands, but expanding beyond them.
It is a shared laboratory where krautrock hypnosis, progressive complexity, heavy psych improvisation and cosmic curiosity are allowed full expression.
And with III, that mission reaches a new peak.
RELEASE FORMATS
III will be released in: Deluxe vinyl editions Limited coloured pressings CD and digital formats
Special collector bundles to be announced
Further details- including track listing, artwork and live appearances—will be revealed soon.
FIRST LIVE APPEARANCE
The announcement arrives as anticipation builds for Tranquonauts’ first-ever live performance at Freak Valley Festival, June 5–7 in Germany – the band’s debut live performance and a landmark moment for a project previously known only through its recordings.
Appearing alongside some of the most revered names in psychedelic and heavy underground music, the performance will mark the first time audiences can experience the Tranquonauts’ expansive sonic vision on stage, with material from III expected to feature prominently.
For followers of deep psychedelic exploration, progressive adventure and fearless musical risk, this is not simply a new record.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 2nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Who’s up for a potentially-life-changing weekend in the desert? Well, me, for one. Barring a magic invite, I don’t imagine I’ll be there to see the inaugural Mojave Experience Festival when it takes place over two days next March, but looking at the lineup I fail to see how you wouldn’t want to. Look at that Friday bill. They call it a pre-party. Look at that Saturday bill! How many nights in your life are you going to be treated to a succession of acts like that?
It was pretty clear out of the gate — Dead Meadow and Earthless were the first two bands announced — that Mojave Experience meant business this first time out. I don’t know if this is a one-time thing or if there are intentions toward an annual happening, but either way, the assembled lineup crosses generations and stylistic borders, fostering an immediate sense of identity that’s tied to the history of the Californian desert underground with the likes of Mario Lalli, John Garcia, Gary Arce, Nick Oliveri and The Freeks involved, but that is already looking to reach beyond those geographic and aesthetic confines as well, whether that’s the doom of L.A.’s Early Moods or the acidblasting psych of Philly’s Ecstatic Vision. SoftSun and Borracho. Acid King and Hippie Death Cult. I could just go on saying names until I’ve said them all. None of them suck.
The dust has settled… and the full lineup is here. Two days !
FRIDAY • Mojave Gold (Pre-Party) Rubber Snake Charmers feat. Sean Wheeler The Freeks Arthur Seay & The RiffKillers Borracho Insomniac SoftSun
SATURDAY • Joshua Tree Lake (Main Event) Earthless Dead Meadow John Garcia Acid King Yawning Man Hippie Death Cult Nick Oliveri’s Death Acoustic Ecstatic Vision Howling Giant Early Moods
Single-day Riff Rider Passes drop Dec 5 — Friday or Saturday, your choice. Two-day bundles already gone.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 3rd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
King Buffalo, Dozer, Pelican, High Desert Queen, Blackwater Holylight, Howling Giant, Daevar, Bottenhavet, Moonstone, The Sword, Russian Circles — I mean, do I really need to say more here than the list of names. Desertfest Oslo 2026 will be the third edition of the Norwegian Desertfest installation, and one might accuse them of coming out of the gate swinging. Some of these — The Sword, Earthless, High Desert Queen, etc. — are being shared with Desertfest Berlin and Desertfest London, setting up the possibility of three weeks of touring at least for a few acts here. Then there’s King Buffalo, who I think are just spending their entire summer abroad next year. Not gonna complain about it if there’s a chance I can see them.
To that end, I was lucky enough to be invited to cover Desertfest Oslo last year and, unsurprisingly, I had a blast. Should I be so fortunate as to be invited again, I’ll go, but I’m not about to presume. Whether I’m there to see it or not has no bearing on the sickness of the lineup-thus-far, as you know, but still makes for a nice daydream.
They’ve got tickets on sale now, as per socials:
Let’s get this train running! 🔥
We’ve been so excited to share the first batch of bands coming to Oslo the 8th and 9th of May 2026.
From great geniuses of the genre, to guitar-wielding warlocks of the wasteland. From divine drop-d decibels, to new necromancers of nostalgic noise.
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 22nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
First of all, this art frigging rules. Kuba Sokolski Illustration is apparently the party responsible for the look of Desertfest Berlin 2026, and I dig it. The colors, the theme, the implication of narrative in becoming part of something bigger than yourself. Oh yeah, and the first band announcements are pretty killer too.
Russian Circles, Hermano, The Sword, Acid King, King Buffalo, Truckfighters, Earthless, Crippled Black Phoenix, Pelican, Mother’s Cake, High Desert Queen, Zerre, and Dope Purple comprise the first cohort to join the lineup, and aside from having me at Acid King and King Buffalo — which, yeah; also Hermano — it’s good to see The Sword will take their reunion to Europe next Spring, and Truckfighters will likely be out supporting their new album, which is due around that time as well.
This won’t be nearly all of it, but it’s plenty and it’s a killer start. As with every year, I look forward to seeing how Desertfest and the European underground circuit will shape up for next Spring. Here’s the announce from social media:
BERLIN, THE DESERT IS CALLING! 🌌
We’re beyond stoked to drop the first wave for Desertfest Berlin 2026 // 14.-16. May 2026 – and it’s a riff-heavy ride straight into the void 🌙
Russian Circles will crush you with their cinematic post-metal soundscapes, while desert rock legends Hermano return with John Garcia at the helm. Texas riff titans The Sword are back to shake the ground, and the mighty Acid King keep the doom thick and smoky. King Buffalo invite you to drift away on cosmic psych grooves, while fuzzlords Truckfighters bring the Swedish desert storm with their first new album in 10 years.
Earthless will melt your mind with endless space jams, and Crippled Black Phoenix deliver apocalyptic rock full of grandeur. Expect instrumental heaviness from Chicago pioneers Pelican, plus wild progressive energy from Mother’s Cake. Adding Texan groove power from High Desert Queen, new wave of würzburgs thrash metal Zerre, and psych-doom freakouts from Taiwan’s Dope Purple – the storm is real.
If this line-up speaks to your soul – better grab your tickets now before they vanish into the haze:www.desertfest.de
DESERTFEST BERLIN 2026 14.-16. MAY 2026 COLUMBIA VENUES, BERLIN
⚡FIRST ANNOUNCEMENTS⚡ RUSSIAN CIRCLES HERMANO THE SWORD ACID KING KING BUFFALO TRUCKFIGHTERS EARTHLESS CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX PELICAN MOTHER’S CAKE HIGH DESERT QUEEN ZERRE DOPE PURPLE AND MANY MORE!
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 15th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
There are only two acts announced so far for the first-ever Mojave Experience Festival, set to take place next March in Joshua Tree, California, but a couple things about that. First, the two bands are Earthless and Dead Meadow. Second, Patrick Brink from Volume is curating. Third, if you go to the festival’s website, there’s a picture of Yawning Man, so maybe they’ll be there too. In any case, the fest notes intention toward a blending of acts old and new. Fair enough for the headliners, then, to probably be among the more familiar names included.
It’d also be something of a waste if Brink‘s own band didn’t play, but I guess you never know until it’s confirmed and it’s not that yet, so don’t go saying I said a thing because, no, I don’t have any idea what I’m talking about.
Whoever else takes up the however-many lineup slots available, no question Mojave Experience is off to a rousing start. I look forward to seeing how it shapes up, but here’s first word from the PR wire on it:
The Mojave Experience Festival announces first annual dates and early lineup
Desert music & culture festival revives the free spirited vibe of Desolation Center, High Desert generator parties and early days of Coachella
The Mojave Experience festival announces the dates of the first annual event taking place from March 20th-21st, 2026 in Joshua Tree, California. The festival is the brainchild of organizer and High Desert native Patrick Brink, frontman of VOLUME and former lead singer of desert rock legends Fu Manchu. Early tickets go on sale on October 3rd.
Co-headliners Earthless and Dead Meadow are the first artists to be announced in the lineup, with many more of the 16 bands confirmed to perform over two nights. The lineup includes legends in explorative and countercultural music, as well as future ones now making waves.
The Mojave Experience takes place in Joshua Tree, California at the Joshua Tree Lake & Campground. Attendees are encouraged to make use of the camping, hiking and rock climbing in the area while taking in the vast beauty and mystery of the region that birthed the Desert Rock movement.
The Mojave isn’t just a backdrop — it’s the raw, unfiltered stage where music, art, and chaos collide. Out here, under endless stars and brutal sun, the desert strips away the fake and leaves only what’s real.
The Mojave Experience was born from that spirit. It’s not another sanitized festival in a city park, it’s a gathering for the wild ones, the wanderers, the true believers who know the desert doesn’t hand out comfort, only freedom. This is where local desert legends share the stage with national heavyweights, weaving new stories into the myth of the Mojave. No velvet ropes. No corporate gloss.
Just artists, misfits, and seekers coming together for a weekend that won’t be forgotten. We bring the sound. You bring the fire. Together we’ll carve something into the desert that echoes long after the amps shut down. This is more than a festival — it’s a ritual. A pilgrimage into the heat, dust, and sound that will rattle your bones and rewire your soul.
Come ready. Come raw.
The Mojave Experience isn’t here to entertain you — it’s here to change you.
THE MOJAVE EXPERIENCE 2026: 03/20-21/2026 Joshua Tree, CA – Joshua Tree Lake & Campground
