Posted in Whathaveyou on May 5th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
With no Desertfest New York this year (and, let’s face it, maybe not next year either), I don’t have the luxury I’ve enjoyed throughout the 2020s thus far of consoling myself at missing Ripplefest Texas by seeing some of the same acts coming through without having to fly out to do it. Not so much this year. In unveiling its full lineup for this September, Ripplefest Texas 2025 lays out an absolute dream of a bill — from Weedeater to Suplecs to Mothership to Author and Punisher (new record by then?) to Sundrifter and Mr. frickin’ Plow and Lake Lake — it’s the most imperative US festival lineup I’ve seen pretty much since Ripplefest Texas last year.
I’ve never been to Ripplefest Texas and it’s been over 15 years since the last time I set foot in Austin, but I’d be there in a hot minute for this one. Gonna start a GoFundMe for the flight and lodging (more likely, beg my wife). If you get there, congratulations on your life.
Check out the new adds and the full lineup below. It’s a beautiful thing:
The best family reunion of the year is back! The lineup for RippleFest Texas 2025 is now complete and you will not want to miss your chance to see the best music at the friendliest festival in the world. Lick of My Spoon Productions brings you the only open air festival in the US with ABSOLUTELY ZERO BAND OVERLAPPING! New bands added to an already stacked lineup are ASG, Author & Punisher, Mondo Generator, High Desert Queen, Bronco, Rainbows Are Free, The Absurd, Volume, Gran Moreno, Karma Vulture, and Desert Suns.
The festival will once again be held at The Far Out Lounge and Sagebrush in Austin, TX on September 18-21, 2025. Get your tickets now at www.lickofmyspoon.com.
Full List of Bands: Weedeater Whores. Mothership Author & Punisher Mondo Generator ASG Unida Wo Fat Valley of the Sun Left Lane Cruiser High Desert Queen Mos Generator Telekinetic Yeti Human Impact Mountain of Smoke Thunder Horse Suplecs Kind Bronco Sundrifter Rainbows Are Free Fostermother Mr. Plow Kupa Pities Luna Sol Shun Gran Moreno Stone Nomads Volume The Absurd Desert Suns Karma Vulture Lake Lake Sons of Gulliver
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 23rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
The sun hadn’t even set on this year’s Ripplefest Texas this past weekend and the Austin-based festival announced its dates for 2025. No headliners have been revealed yet — and fair enough; it’s a year away — but Unida return to top the thus-far bill, and along with Mos Generator, Left Lane Cruiser and Kind, the first of no-doubt-several international acts has been announced, with London’s Steak making the trip over.
You may recall Steak recorded in the California desert in the past, and they may have done a couple gigs around that, but I’m assuming there will be a more substantial stint of touring around their slot at Ripplefest. I haven’t seen dates for Desertfest NYC 2025 yet, but the two fests were closely interlinked in terms of lineup this year, somewhat akin to the on-the-same-page togetherness Europe will see between various events on successive weekends next month, and given Steak‘s connection to Desertscene London, the team from which is also behind Desertfest New York, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see that relationship continue to develop as Ripplefest Texas 2025 adds more bands building on the initial names here.
And if you saw the lineup for 2024 or — congratulations on your weekend if this is the case — you were there to actually see the show, you know Ripplefest Texas packs its four-day expanse front to back at a scale that few outside of Maryland Doom Fest could hope to, and with an increasing reach to boot. If you’re not yet looking forward to the next Ripplefest Texas, here’s a cue to do so:
RippleFest Texas 2025 dates are officially announced! We are selling 100 4 Day Passes only at a ridiculous price of $100! That is worth seeing these bands announced so far and we haven’t even announced our headliners yet! Get them while you can!!!
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 8th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
This is one of the best lineups I’ve seen for a US-based heavy fest in the 15-plus years I’ve been running this site. I don’t know what else to say about it, honestly. For the fact that Ripplefest Texas is bringing Dozer over alone, let alone any of the other Euro acts involved who have, say, been to North America in the last 20-plus years, it’s astonishing. And not just bigger bands like Dozer and Truckfighters or Mars Red Sky and Belzebong, but Domkraft and Kal-El, bands you know if you’re into this thing but that haven’t been around as long and aren’t as ‘huge’ in the whatever sense that applies in underground music.
And it’s not like they’re skimping on within-US geography either. Of course the desert is well represented, and Texas has a significant presence as it invariably would, but with Gozu and Leather Lung headed out from Boston, Borracho traveling from D.C., Temple of the Fuzz Witch from Michigan, Robots of the Ancient World from Portland, Oregon, and so on, they’ve got all the corners and between pretty well covered. La Chinga coming from Canada. Demons My Friends giving Mexico a nod. It is extensive.
And quality. I don’t know that I’ll be there to see it, but I’d imagine that for most who get to be, it’ll be the stuff of legend. Congrats to Ryan Garney and Lick of My Spoon for bringing it into the world, and safe travels to all involved:
Here it is! The lineup for RippleFest Texas and the amazing art by Simon Berndt @1horsetown 🤘🔥❤️
We still have a few surprises left but this roster is stacked! Don’t miss your chance to see the world’s best heavy music at the largest family reunion of the year. Plus this is the ONLY premier festival that has absolutely ZERO OVERLAPPING so you can see every second of every band! Get your tickets now and we will see you in September!
Tier 2 tickets are almost sold out and the price increases on Monday so get your tickets now:
DOZER TRUCKFIGHTERS BONGZILLA MARS RED SKY BELZEBONG DOMKRAFT LEGIONS OF DOOM FATSO JETSON GOZU HOWLING GIANT THE HEAVY EYES HIGH DESERT QUEEN KAL-EL 20 WATT TOMBSTONE THE OTOLITH TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH LEATHER LUNG THUNDER HORSE HASHTRONAUT BONE CHURCH BORRACHO SUN CROW CRYSTAL SPIDERS TIA CARRERA ROBOTS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD MR. PLOW LA CHINGA FOSTERMOTHER BLUE HERON TEMPTRESS FORMULA 400 DEMONS MY FRIENDS VERMILION WHISKEY VIOLET RISING HUDU AKIL BUZZ ELECTRO SHADOW OF JUPITER
GRAND FINALE w/ MARIO LALLI & THE RUBBER SNAKE CHARMERS “Desert Jam Session”
Plus the best light show in the business by @themadalchemistliquidliteshow
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:
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!
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 22nd, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Back for its second year and with a fourth day in tow, Ripplefest Texas 2022 confirms its full lineup, a total beast of legends and newcomers. Really, I don’t even know what to say here except that if you’re lucky enough to go, it’s probably the kind of thing you’re going to remember for a long gosh-darn time, and it’s the kind of lineup that serves as lording-over fodder on the part of those who were there to those who weren’t. Well, at least it would if the heavy underground weren’t too cool to each other for that kind of gatekeeping nonsense. In any case, this looks like a massive undertaking to put on, and the roster of assembled acts gets a hearty ‘fucking a’ from my corner of the universe.
Tickets for all four days will run you $150, but I feel like the festival earns that on both quality and quantity of product.
Here’s the announcement, info and links:
RIPPLE FEST TEXAS – The Far Out Lounge – July 21-24
4-day passes available now!
RippleFest Texas 2022 is back and the lineup is as big and hot as Texas itself! 4 days of blistering hot music at Austin’s premier music venue The Far Out Lounge. There will be everything from crushing heavy riffs, to acoustic and banjo picking, to improvisation jam sessions and puppet shows! So many legends and great music that this will be a 4 day weekend you will not want to miss!
FULL LINEUP: Eagles of Death Metal, The Sword, Crowbar, Mothership, Big Business, The Obsessed, Stöner, Spirit Adrift, The Heavy Eyes, Sasquatch, REZN, Fatso Jetson, Heavy Temple, J.D. Pinkus, Lord Buffalo, Lo-Pan, Wino, El Perro, Void Vator, Hippie Death Cult, Howling Giant, Doctor Smoke, Nick Oliveri, High Desert Queen, Destroyer of Light, Ape Machine, High Priestess, Dryheat, Rubber Snake Charmers, Sun Crow, Holy Death Trio, Bone Church, Horseburner, Spirit Mother, Thunder Horse, Mother Iron Horse, The Age of Truth, Salem’s Bend, Las Cruces, All Souls, Kind, Fostermother, The Absurd, Godeye, Ole English, Mr. Plow, Snake Mountain Revival, Blue Heron, Grail, Formula 400, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Eagle Claw, Bridge Farmers.
The Far Out Lounge is located at 8504 South Congress. Winner of Best New Venue at the Austin Music Awards 2020.
Posted in Radio on January 21st, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Yeah, this is a good one. A lot of this comes from stuff that’s been and is being covered around here over the last couple weeks, and suffice it to say I’ve got no regrets about choosing any of these tracks. I was worried about White Manna getting lost in the Quarterly Review shuffle, so consider this an extra nod to check that out, and celebrating the new Big Scenic Nowhere, Lamp of the Universe, Weedpecker and Pia Isa records feels about right, as well as the Electric Moon collection, Phase, which put “The Loop” right back in my head like it had never left.
Upcoming stuff from Seremonia, Obsidian Sea, Fostermother, and SÖNUS give a glimpse of things to be released over the next month-plus, and the hardest part about including an Author & Punisher track is not rambling incoherently for 20 minutes about how great the rest of the record from which it comes is. I suppose there will be time for such things.
For now, I thank you for listening as always if you do and I’m grateful you see these words either way.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 01.21.22
Pia Isa
Follow the Sun
Distorted Chants
SÖNUS
Pay Me Your Mind
Usurper of the Universe
Weedpecker
Endless Extensions of Good Vibrations
IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts
VT
Fostermother
Hedonist
The Ocean
Frozen Planet….1969
Diamond Dust
Not From 1969
Author & Punisher
Drone Carrying Dread
Kruller
Wormsand
Carrions
Shapeless Mass
Dream Unending
In Cipher I Weep
Tide Turns Eternal
VT
Obsidian Sea
Mythos
Pathos
Lamp of the Universe
Descendants
The Akashic Field
Electric Moon
The Loop
Phase
Papir
7.2
7
Seremonia
Unohduksen Kidassa
Neonlusifer
White Manna
Monogamous Casanova
First Welcome
VT
Big Scenic Nowhere
The Long Morrow
The Long Morrow
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Feb. 4 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
Houston, Texas-based psych-doomers Fostermother make their label debut on Ripple Music Feb. 18 with The Ocean, their second album. The now-trio, on-this-record-studio-duo and former-solo-project are veterans of the inaugural RippleFest Texas last year, and their self-titled first record was issued in 2020, and while we’re doing numbers, I’ll note further that “Seasons” — premiering below — is the third video they’ve put out to herald The Ocean‘s arrival. and there’s still more than a month to go before the release. Advance notice, then, has been duly served.
Like the prior clips for “Hedonist” and “Sunday” — must be awfully convenient when you can handle these things DIY-style and not have it look like crap — “Seasons” is drawn from side A of The Ocean, and it finds Fostermother spearhead Travis Weatherred leading the proceedings with a particularly thick-feeling roller of a riff that builds on the lumbering melancholia of the album’s opener, “Sunday” and finds a groove somewhere between Monolord with and October Rust-era Type O Negative, the latter also seemingly referenced in the vocal melody and effects. Weatherred, who also drums on the LP, drops the guitar later on and Stephen Griffin‘s bass comes to the fore as if to emphasize a doomed drudgery, but though the mood is familiar, their preach to the converted is sure to find willing ears, as did their self-titled prior.
“Seasons” is the missing link between “Sunday” and “Hedonist,” which is faster and hookier, but The Ocean continues to unfold across a broader range as it goes, with “Dark Desires” tapping even speedier push given righteous physicality by its low end and the centerpiece “Unholiest of Days” meeting its grim title with a Cathedral-esque verse/chorus patterning and a genuine boogie groove in something of a surprising turn. They slow it down, to be sure, but just for a bell-toller of a bridge before the main riff returns and they Sabbath swing back through the chorus again to finish out. I’m not entirely sure where the split between the two halves of the vinyl is, but “The Ocean” serves as a landmark on the album that shares its title, whether or not it’s the beginning of side B, moving from a mid-paced density into a stretch of quieter guitar, bass and drums before layered vocals bring back a larger incarnation of the riff.
Of course, they’re not the first to make big, thick-sounding noises at high volumes and liken them to massive bodies of water and/or tidal forces — likewise the emotional undercurrent contained in the material — but “The Ocean” makes a kind of chant of its title, a sub-mantra, and thereby conveys a sense of awe to go with its manifestation of plod, that last aspect brought forward in “Arrival,” which, indeed, feels like one. Classically doomed, it’s an engaging setup for “Redeemer,” which in its floating melodic vocal, tempo kick and sharper-edged riff reminds more of the Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats school of garage heavy, if holding its emphasis on the ‘heavy’ end of that bargain. A prog break in the middle is more subterfuge, as they return to the verse before ending with a chugging breakdown topped with an echoing guitar lead; unexpected and all the more welcome for that.
Who are you, Fostermother? At 6:37, the finale and longest inclusion, “Solitude” — not a Candlemass cover — answers the question with a fitting summary of elements on display across The Ocean in its tonal and emotional weight, melody and willingness to speak to ideas classic and modern to make its point. The mournful progression of guitar that, as a lead and then just as the riff itself, carries the song and album to a finish isn’t so much a grand ending as a tie-up for the entirety of the preceding LP. It makes the point rather than overstates it, and that difference makes the whole impression Fostermother make throughout The Ocean more sincere, and deeper-feeling than something simply executing ‘heavy’ for its own sake.
The depressive current of The Ocean is on full display in the video for “Seasons,” which, as one might imagine, features a lot of staring, both at the camera and off at other stuff. Action-packed it isn’t, but in its atmosphere it speaks to one of Fostermother‘s greater strengths, and something they’ll hopefully continue to explore as they move forward from here. A band who can nod, shuffle, push and plod like this is one thing. A band who can do all that and have something to say is something else.
Enjoy:
Fostermother, “Seasons” video premiere
Music Video for “Seasons” off the upcoming Fostermother album “The Ocean” on Ripple Music. Slated for Vinyl/CD/Digital release on February 18, 2022
Frontman Travis Weatherred about the album: “The album is largely about dealing depression and isolation. It also speaks on individuals who would eagerly trade everything and everyone in the pursuit of their own self-interest all while casting judgment on others. These behaviors have a negative impact on friends, family, and society as a whole. Depression is viewed in two ways lyrically; a lack of desire to take care of yourself and the drive to move past it by seeking redemption and new motivations. The Ocean represents Isolation in society. I often find my healing/coping process is found best when I clear my thoughts in quiet room which is where the album ends.”
All music was written and performed by Travis Weatherred (vocals, guitar, synth, drums) and Stephen Griffin (bass, keys, and additional guitar). It was produced and mixed by Travis Weatherred. The artwork was designed by UK-based painter Ryan T. Hancock.
FOSTERMOTHER is Travis Weatherred – Guitar, Vocals Stephen Griffin – Bass Jason Motamedi – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 23rd, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Houston three-piece/former-solo-project Fostermother appeared earlier this year at Ripplefest Texas, so maybe it shouldn’t be a huge shocker to find that The Ocean — their upcoming second album — will be released through Ripple Music. If you’re paying that close attention, kudos. For the rest of us, the news of the record’s Feb. 18 arrival — which came in like five days ago, lest you think I’m on top of my shit — is welcome just the same, particularly as it brings with it a first sample of the record in question with the video for “Hedonist,” showcasing the band’s blend of heavy rock and doom elements, a classic fuzzy tone being used to deliver somewhat darker fare.
I’ve been keeping a running list of bands whose records I’m looking forward to in 2022 in the Obelisk Collective on Facebook. Fostermother are on it. I didn’t catch their self-titled when it came out — see “not on shit,” above — but there’s a lot to dig into here and I’m interested to do so.
From the PR wire:
Houston fuzzed-out doom trio FOSTERMOTHER share details for new album ‘The Ocean’ on Ripple Music; watch new “Hedonist” video now!
Texas-based doom and fuzz metal merchants FOSTERMOTHER announce the release of their new album ‘The Ocean’, coming out February 18th on Ripple Music.
Originally a solo project Travis Weatherred, quickly joined by bassist Stephen Griffin, FOSTERMOTHER made an impression within the stoner and doom scene with their self-titled debut album. Now a three-head hydra with the addition of drummer Jason Motamedi, the band signed to Californian heavy rock powerhouse Ripple Music for the release of its follow-up ‘The Ocean”. This massive-sounding 7-tracker cranks it up on all levels: it’s darker, harsher, slower, fuzzier, more rumbling than ever, and uncompromising in its ability to drag any listener into the darkest alleys of the human soul.
Frontman Travis Weatherred about the album: “The album is largely about dealing depression and isolation. It also speaks on individuals who would eagerly trade everything and everyone in the pursuit of their own self-interest all while casting judgment on others. These behaviors have a negative impact on friends, family, and society as a whole. Depression is viewed in two ways lyrically; a lack of desire to take care of yourself and the drive to move past it by seeking redemption and new motivations. The Ocean represents Isolation in society. I often find my healing/coping process is found best when I clear my thoughts in quiet room which is where the album ends.”
All music was written and performed by Travis Weatherred (vocals, guitar, synth, drums) and Stephen Griffin (bass, keys, and additional guitar). It was produced and mixed by Travis Weatherred. The artwork was designed by UK-based painter Ryan T. Hancock.
