Posted in Whathaveyou on October 30th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Looks like a banger of a way to lose time for an entire weekend. Inhale the mountain air till you pass out, wheel yourself into Denver’s Bar 404 and set up shop for three days of curated heavy local and farflung (though not the band Farflung), find your bliss and if you’re lucky you might even remember it afterward. The first-ever HUFR Fest — gonna be more like a HUGR Fest by the time everybody’s done giving hugs — will launch with a bang. Looking for something without the same headliners you’ve seen a hundred times? Here’s an event digging into the underground for real and finding something to offer apart from the did-you-know-High-on-Fire-won-a-Grammy norm. I don’t even know Vashon Seed, but I’m keen to find out.
Okay I took two seconds and googled. Roots in Sub Pop pre-grunge Seattle noise, heavy punker approach, one record out in Sept. 2020 (hell of a time for a debut), find it below. See how easy and fun it can be to learn new things?
Six bands Friday, six bands Saturday, five on Sunday. Deer Creek seem to have dropped off, which is unfortunate, but there’s still nary a clunker to be found. If you go to this one, I hope it’s as much of a blast as it looks:
HUFR FEST: Mile High Riffs
April 24–26, 2026 | Bar 404, Denver, CO
The Heavy Underground Farm Report proudly presents HUFR FEST: Mile High Riffs, a three-day celebration of Colorado’s heaviest underground sounds. From stoner rock and doom to psychedelic and desert grooves, this festival unites local legends and national rising acts for a weekend of riffs, community, and fuzz-soaked vibes.
LINEUP Friday, April 24 Vashon Seed Hibernaut Violet Rising Lord Velvet Sonolith Lost Relics
Saturday, April 25 Psalm Momovudu Godzillionaire Luna Sol Blue Heron Cobranoid
Sunday, April 26 Nomestomper Black Sunrise Messiahvore Shadow of Jupiter Peach Street Revival
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 25th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Mind you, I don’t know that the upcoming first-ever HUFR Fest in Denver is pronouncing itself as “huffer,” but I’m certainly happy to pretend they are either way. In any case, it stands for Heavy Underground Farm Report, which is helmed by Sean Patrick Brooks, and has been put together with the express purpose of showcasing the Mile High City’s homegrown fare alongside the regionally-imported strains of Blue Heron, Luna Sol, Psalm, Sonolith, Godzillionaire and others. It’s a classic-enough formula, and as missions go, there are few more honorable than pulling a crowd into a room and showing them a piece of the scene they’re standing in, whether a given attendee is from there or not.
However you want to say it, HUFR Fest in running three days is showing itself to be not at all without ambition this first time out. They’re calling it, somewhat inevitably, ‘Mile High Riffs,’ and given the largesse of some of these bands — I just heard Blue Heron‘s take on “Head Like a Hole” for the first time; good fun — that would seem to be the standard they’re applying. Looks like fun.
From social media:
HUFR FEST – Mile High Riffs
Denver, Colorado is about to get heavier. Created by Sean Brooks, Andrea Thomas-Brooks, and Zeth Pedulla, HUFR FEST – Mile High Riffs is a three-day celebration of stoner, doom, and riff-driven rock, happening April 24–26, 2026 at Bar 404 in the heart of Denver.
With 17 bands across the weekend, HUFR FEST brings the crushing weight of doom, the fuzzed-out haze of stoner rock, and the psychedelic grooves of heavy underground music to the Mile High City. More than just a festival, it’s a gathering for the heavy music community—fans, bands, artists, and riff worshippers alike.
Prepare for walls of sound, swirling smoke, and the kind of communal energy that only heavy music can create. Welcome to HUFR FEST – Mile High Riffs.
Day three. Yesterday had its challenges as regards timing, but ultimately I wound up where I wanted to be, which is finished with the writing. Fingers crossed I’m so lucky today. Last time around I hit into a groove pretty early and the days kind of flew, so I’m due a Quarterly Review where it’s a little more pulling teeth to make sentences happen. I’m doing my best either way. That’s it. That’s the update. Let’s go Wednesday.
Quarterly Review #21-30:
Godzillionaire, Diminishing Returns
Tell you what. Instead of pretending I knew Godzillionaire at all before this record came along or that I had any prior familiarity with frontman Mark Hennessy‘s ’90s-era outfit Paw — unlike everything else I’ve seen written about the band — I’ll admit to going into Diminishing Returns relatively blind. And somehow it’s still nostalgic? With its heart on its sleeve and one foot in we’re-all-definitely-over-all-that-shit-from-our-20s-by-now-right-guys poetic moodiness, the Lawrence, Kansas, four-piece veer between the atmospherics of “Spin Up Spin Down” and more grounded grooves like that of “Boogie Johnson” or “3rd Street Shuffle.” “Unsustainable” dares post-rock textures and an electronic beat, “Astrogarden” has a chug imported from 1994 and the seven-minutes-each capstone pair “Common Board, Magic Nail,” which does a bit of living in its own head, and “Shadow of a Mountain,” which has a build but isn’t a blowout, reward patient listens. I guess if you were there in the ’90s, it’s god-tier heavy underground hype. From where I sit, it’s pretty solid anyhow.
In Flight is the second full-length from Portland, Oregon’s Time Rift, and it brings the revamped trio lineup of vocalist Domino Monet, founding guitarist Justin Kaye and drummer Terrica Catwood to a place between classic heavy rock and classic metal, colliding ’70s groove and declarative ’80s NWOBHM riffing — advance single “The Hunter” strikes with a particularly Mob Rulesian tone, but it’s relatable to a swath of non-sucky metal of the age — such that “Follow Tomorrow” finds a niche that sounds familiar in its obscurity. They’re not ultimately rewriting any playbooks stylistically, but the balance of the production highlights the organic foundation without coming across like a put-on, and the performances thrive in that. Sometimes you want some rock and roll. Time Rift brought plenty for everyone.
Canadian instrumentalist trio Heavy Trip released their sophomore LP, Liquid Planet, in Nov. 2024, following on from 2020’s Burning World-issued self-titled debut (review here). A 13-minute title-track serves as opener and longest inclusion (immediate points), setting a high standrad for scorch that the pulls and shred of “Silversun,” the rush and roll of “Astrononaut” (sic) and capper “Mudd Red Moon” with its maybe-just-wah-all-the-time push and noisy comedown ending, righteously answer. It’s easy enough on its face to cite Earthless as an influence — instrumental band with ace guitarist throwing down a gauntlet for 40 minutes; they’re also touring Europe together — but Heavy Trip follow a trajectory of their own within the four songs and are less likely to dwell in a part, as the movement within “Astrononaut” shows plainly. I won’t be surprised when their next one comes with label backing.
An impressive debut from UK four-piece Slung, whose provenance I don’t know but who sound like they’ve been at it for a while and have come into their first album, In Ways, with clarity of what they want in terms of sound and songwriting. “Laughter” opens raucous, and “Class A Cherry” follows with a sleeker slower roll, while “Come Apart” pushes even further into loud/quiet trades for a soaring chorus and “Collider” pays off its early low-end tension with a melodic hook that feels so much bigger than what one might find in a three-minute song. It goes like that: one cut after another, for 11 songs and 37 minutes, with Slung skillfully guiding the listener from the front of the record to the back. The going can be intense, like “Matador” or the crashing “Thinking About It,” more contemplative like “Limassol” and “Heavy Duty,” and there’s even room for a title-track interlude before the somewhat melancholic “Nothing Left” and “Falling Down” close, though that might only be because Slung use their time so well.
Madrid-based progressive heavy rockers Greengoat return on a quick turnaround from 2024’s A.I. (review here) to Aloft, which over 33 minutes plays through seven songs each of which has been given a proper name: the album intro is “Zohar,” it moves into the grey-toned tension of “Betty,” “Jim” is moody, “Barney” takes it for a walk, and so on. The big-riffed centerpiece “Travis” is a highlight slog, and “Ariel,” which follows, is thoughtful in its melody and deceptively nuanced in the underlying rhythm. That’s kind of how Greengoat do. They’ve taken their influences — and in the case of closer “Charles,” that includes black metal — and internalized them toward their own methodologies, and as such, Aloft feels all the more individually constructed. Hail Iberia as Western Europe’s most undervalued heavy hotspot.
If it seems a little on the nose for Author & Punisher, modern industrial music’s most doom-tinged purveyor, to cover Godflesh, who helped set the style in motion in the first place, yeah, it definitely is. That accounts for the reverence with which Tristan Shone treats the track that originally appeared on 1994’s Selfless LP, and maybe is part of why the song’s apparently been sitting for 11 years since it was recorded in 2014. Accordingly, if some of the sounds remind of 2015’s Melk en Honig (discussed here), the era might account for that. In Shone‘s interpretation, though, the defeated vocal of Justin K. Broadrick becomes a more aggressive rasp and the guitar is transposed to synth. One advantage to living in the age of content-creation is stuff like this gets released at all, let alone posted so you can stream or download as you will. Get it now so when it shows up on the off-album-tracks compilation later you can roll your eyes and be extra cool.
Children of the Sün, Leaving Ground, Greet the End
It’s gotta be a trap, right? The third full-length from Arvika, Sweden, heavy-hippie folk-informed psychedelic rockers Children of the Sün can’t really be this sweet, right? The soaring “Lilium?” The mellow, lap-steel-included motion in “Come With Us?” The fact that they stonerfy “Whole Lotta Love?” Yeah, no way. I know how this goes. You show up and the band are like, “Hey everything’s cool, check out this better universe we just made” and then the next thing you know the floor drops out and you’re doing manual labor on some Swedish farm to align yourself with some purported oneness. I hear you, “Starlighter.” You’re gorgeous and one of many vivid temptations on Leaving Ground, Greet the End, but you’ll not take my soul on your outbound journey through the melodic cosmos. I’m just gonna stay here and be miserable and there’s nothing you or that shiver-down-the-spine backing vocal in “Lovely Eyes” can do about it. So there.
While the core math at work in Pothamus‘ craft in terms of bringing together crushing, claustrophobic tonality, aggressive purposes and expansive atmospherics isn’t necessarily new for a post-metallic playbook, but the melodies that the Belgian trio keep in their pocket for an occasion like “De-Varium” or the drone-folk “Ykavus” before they find another layer of breadth in the 15-minute closing title-track are no less engrossing across the subdued stretches within the six songs of Abur than the band are consuming at their heaviest, and the percussion in the early build of the finale says it better than I could, calling back to the ritualism of opener “Zhikarta” and the way it seems to unfold another layer of payoff with each measure as it crosses the halfway point, only to end up squeezing itself through a tiny tube of low end and finding freedom on the other side in a flood of drone, the entire album playing out its 46 minutes not like parts of a single song, but vivid in the intention of creating a wholeness that is very much manifest in its catharsis.
Gentle Beast, Vampire Witch Reptilian Super Soldier (…From Outer Space)
Gentle Beast are making stoner rock for stoner rockers, if the cumbersome title Vampire Witch Reptilian Super Soldier (…From Outer Space) of the Swiss five-piece’s sophomore LP didn’t already let you know, and from the desert-careening of “Planet Drifter” through the Om-style meditation of “Riding Waves of Karma” (bonus points for digeridoo) ahead of the janga-janga verse and killer chorus of “Revenge of the Buffalo,” they’re not shy about highlighting the point. There’s a spoken part in the early going of “Voodoo Hoodoo Space Machine” that seems to be setting up a narrative, and the organ-laced ending of “Witch of the Mountain” certainly could be seen as a chapter of that unfolding story, but I can’t help but feel like I’m thinking too hard. Go with the riffs, because for sure the riffs are going. Gentle Beast hit pretty hard, counter to the name, and that gives Vampire Witch etc. etc. an outwardly aggressive face, but nobody’s actually getting punched here, they’re just loud having a good time. You can too.
Metal and psychedelia rarely interact with such fluidity, but South Africa’s Acid Magus have found a sweet spot where they can lead a record off with a seven-minute onslaught like “War” and still prog out four minutes later on “Incantations” just because both sound so much in their wheelhouse. In addition, the fullness of their tones and modern production style, the way post-hardcore underlines both the nod later in “Wytch” and the shoving apex of “Emperor” is a unifying factor, while the bright-guitar interludes “Ascendancy” and “Absolution” broaden the palette further and contrast the darker exploration of “Citadel” and the finale “Haven,” which provides a fittingly huge and ceremonious culmination to Scatterling Empire‘s sense of space. It’s almost too perfect in terms of the mix and the balance of the arrangements, but when it hits into a more aggressive moment, they sound organic in holding it together. Acid Magus have actively worked to develop their approach. It’s hard to see the quality of these songs as anything other than reward for that effort.
Posted in Reviews on February 1st, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Afternoon — Before Show
Took a drive out to the desert for a bit this afternoon, looking at old rock formations and listening to tunes. The Samavayo guys had stayed over also at Adam from Sonolith’s house where I’m crashing, and it was good to hang out with them a bit this morning as well. I was up early, showered and finished the review, fest-mode, etc., but got my shit done and could hang out for a bit once the rest of the house was awake. Shockingly, balance has never been a strong suit.
It’s another burner tonight: Fireball Ministry headlining, with JIRM from Sweden, Valley of the Sun, Fire Down Below from Belgium and Godzillionaire opening. After last night unfurled with such a clear, and clearly intentional, narrative thread — each of the four bands adding something to the one before it, building to the headliner blowout of Unida — I’m curious and eager to find out how tonight’s acts might also complement each other.
Also I have a lot of friends here and people are very nice. I’m lucky to be here. I spent a decent portion of last night hanging around with Todd from Ripple Music, Scott from Clean and Sober Stoner, and John Gist, who’s the one behind the festival and far and away the fiercest promoter I know. I met Dave Angstrom from Hermano. I saw old friends I haven’t seen in a decade minimum and I’ll see more over the course of the next three nights. Don’t look now, but I think this might be awesome.
Earlier start to accommodate the fifth band in the Ripple Music showcase. Here’s the night:
Godzillionaire
My first time seeing Godzillionaire, from Kansas, whose new album, Diminishing Returns, came out I think two weeks ago now as their Ripple debut. Solid band. They didn’t sound like their sound was a settled issue, but they did sound like that was by choice. Kind of a mix of influences in noise rock, fuzz, weirdo grunge stylizations and frontman Mark Hennessy’s punk-poet vibes, but they’re pretty clearly chasing the organic more than trying to play to genre, and I found that as the set went on, the scope broadened around that central notion. I admit I’m at a deficit for not knowing Hennessy’s prior work in Paw — I missed out on a lot of cool shit in the ’90s; also other decades — but Godzillionaire were fluid in changing up the mood, getting in some sense of immersion and dynamic. I haven’t reviewed the album yet or I’d have linked it, but by the time they were done, I felt like I wanted to know the songs more, so I’ll say they acquitted themselves well on a first impression. That they — the band is completed by bassist Mike Dye, who doubles as the guy at the merch table with the afro, as mentioned onstage, guitarist and low-key secret tonal weapon Ben White and drummer Cody Romaine, who shut off the snare during the quiet parts for extra class — seemed so comfortable up there speaks to their experience, sure, but it also kind of tied the scope together, made it feel like there was a sure hand guiding you. I’m gonna go back to that record at some point.
Fire Down Below
The Belgian contingent coming in hot, which I guess makes sense, and with grunge and songwriting as threads carried. They’ve been around for a bit, I know, but this is my first time seeing them as well — my first time here, despite how welcoming the experience has been thus far — and they were on point desert-style as one would expect from their records, the latest of which, 2023’s Low Desert Surf Club (review here), and they were a ready reminder of the richness of thy Euro underground, how a band like this can grow their approach over time and find out who they are. Fire Down Below are very much the sing-along hook in “California” — to which, as was noted from the stage, they’ve reportedly never been so close — and are the kind of band you’d play to explain to someone the appeal of this kind of music. The kind of band who could win a listener over with a song. They were all about engaging the crowd, were likewise generous in their thanks and their on-point riffs, and the vocal melody cut through while still letting the guitar sound powerful, early Kyuss style. Which, if you’re going to do it, is an advisable course. It’s good living on Planet Desert Rock, is what I’m learning.
Valley of the Sun
If ever there was a brand you could trust, it’s Ohio stalwarts Valley of the Sun, whose shit is bordering in classic in my mind, and somehow that includes the new stuff? Anyhow, ferociously reliable as they are, I was nonetheless curious to see and hear them as a trio live. Turns out single-guitar Valley of the Sun is still Valley of the Sun, which should be taken as a relief. Their songs still had that distinctive energy and force-of-groove. And the songs are undeniable. They’re a pull away from the grunge that was shared between the first two bands, but Valley of the Sun drew out as a logical extension of the desert mood Fire Down Below were working in, and when they hit the big riff, it hit correspondingly hard. I’d been hanging out, was a little in my own brain before they went on, but Valley of the Sun started off with “Hearts Aflame” as a slap back to a better headspace and that is no small thing to appreciate. From last year’s staggered-release LP, Quintessence (review here), they treated the room to “Graviton,” “The Late Heavy Bombardment,” and “Palus Somni,” the latter of which closed out the set with a punch to counteract the song before and a shove better suited to fire emojis than fucking anything I could ever hope to come up with. Airtight.
JIRM
And then, of course, Sweden’s JIRM came and took the desert from Valley of the Sun and launched the fuzz into space. And further, their doing so adds another dimension to the arc of the fest, following suit from what MR.BISON brought last night. Interweaving plot threads drawn out across band sets on multiple nights? Do you understand how much fun that is for me? I’d seen JIRM before, but that was before they put out The Tunnel, the Well and Holy Bedlam (review here), and so they were among my anticipated bands of the weekend — I don’t mind telling you and I also told the band we were listening to that album this afternoon — and so I was excited to do so again. They mixed in some stuff from the Jeremy Irons and the Ratgang Malibus days, and the vibe opened up: they could get heavy or trip it out, slow roll or hit harder, and they did it with professionalism and fluidity. It all meshed, which, I mean, is what you’d expect. It isn’t like The Tunnel, the Well and Holy Bedlam reinvented their sound, but it was a deeper dive into atmospherics and sonic progressivism than they’d made before — on the most basic level, I’d float it as their best with to-date — but if there was an incongruous moment, I couldn’t tell you where. I felt justified in how much I’d been looking forward to seeing them. If you’re ever in a position where you can, do. I have to tell you, though. I heard a nasty rumor they don’t pronounce it “germ,” but instead J-I-R-M like the acronym it admittedly is, and I immediately set about outlining a 500-word essay (which I might actually write just for fun) on why they should.
Fireball Ministry
Hell yes again to the what-it’s-all-about headliner. Fireball Ministry rocked heavy before it was cool. Bleed it. Jim Rota and the esteemed Emily J. Burton sharing guitar and vocal duties, a pair of humans who have spent a goodly portion of their lives living for their instrument. They had Johny Chow, who’s been m the band before and played with Cavalera Conspiracy and a host of others, on bass, and he sat well in the groove with drummer John Oreshnick, but one would expect no less from Fireball Ministry, who remain legends of the Southern California heavy underground while always having been a bit removed from desert rock, more straight up heavy, lumped in with stoner in the ’90s because I guess every band didn’t have their own genre yet, but always coming from a classic place and unrepentantly sweet in the melody. In other words, they’ve been themselves for a long time, musically speaking, and their material is timeless in part because it never really fit. Some older songs — “from the Johny Chow era,” as Rota put it — were warmly received, and while their stuff was a departure from the thread to a point, Fireball Ministry are a celebration of heavy songwriting. They’re always gonna fit. I stood up front for a while, just to sort of soak in the sound, and no regrets. As with Unida, it was an extended headlining set, and Fireball Ministry pulled it off with motor riffs to spare.
—
I have been doing a lot of hanging out. I met a dude named DJ who told me I was his best friend. He was pretty serious, kind of intense about it. I teared up a little, gave a big hug. Shit, I’ll be friends with DJ. Fucking a right.
Said a few goodnights and had a good talk with Ryan from Valley of the Sun, who kind of nailed me down as I was on my way by saying safe travels. You know what my problem is? Somewhere a scroll just unfurled a list, but specifically I worry about disappointing people meeting them in-person. Someone comes up to you and they know you from what you do, they might have an idea of who you are based on that. There’s little more important to me than being honest in my voice in this space, but still, if someone’s saying hi, I don’t know their expectations and I hate the thought of bringing someone down who’s just been kind enough to tell me they see value in this project. So I’m awkward. But I’m trying. It was a nice chat with Ryan. I’ve had more than a few really good hangs over the last couple days, old and new friends, bands coming through, and so on. I am lucky to be here.
Was up until about three, crashed till a few minutes before an 8AM alarm. I have lunch plans, I think, and then it’s a venue change to The Usual Place for tonight’s six-band (!) festival crescendo. Looking forward to it. More pics after the jump in the meantime.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 22nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
After the reveal of the poster and lineup for night one last week, Planet Desert Rock Weekend V presses its argument with a Ripple Music showcase on its second evening’s bill. With label-newcomers Godzillionaire opening — their album, Diminishing Returns, is out Jan. 17, as announced two days ago — and a bill that includes two import acts in Belgium’s Fire Down Below and Sweden’s JIRM, the sure guidance to grooving glory that is Ohio’s Valley of the Sun between them and no less than Fireball Ministry headlining, it’s another another killer night carved from a killer overall bill.
So what do we know so far? Plenty. Planet Desert Rock Weekend V will almost certainly have Joey Rudell posters for night three and its ‘Last Call’ Feb. 2 show too, and fest honcho John Gist notes there’s another announcement for night three coming, but now that night two is out, a rough estimate can be pieced together of what to expect for the day splits. Here’s how it looks:
Night one: Unida, MR.BISON, Sons of Arrakis, Samavayo (confirmed here)
Night two: Fireball Ministry, JIRM, Valley of the Sun, Fire Down Below, Godzillionaire (confirmed below)
Night three: Mos Generator, Solace, Sergeant Thunderhoof, Omega Sun, Green Desert Water, (plus one more TBA)
Night four (Last Call): Duel, BoneHawk, Luna Sol, Iota, Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger (confirmed here)
In other words, it looks pretty sweet. Looking forward to seeing who’s the last one to join the bill, probably next week.
From the PR wire:
PDRW V – Night Two – Friday January 31st – Ripple Music Showcase
For Night 2 of Planet Desert Rock Weekend V we are proud to announce this as a Ripple Music Showcase evening! Since the beginnings of Vegas Rock Revolution, we have had strong ties to Ripple Music and their amazing roster of bands. From the early days of VRR we had Salem’s Bend, Void Vator , Rare Breed and Mothership play shows in the 1st year of our booking events. From there we had such Ripple bands as Freedom Hawk (PDRW ), Wo-Fat (PDRW), The Obsessed, 1000mods, The Watchers, Steak(PDRW) , High Desert Queen (PDRW), Sun Crow (PDRW) ,Blackwulf (PDRW), Wino(PDRW), War Cloud (PDRW), High Priestess, Ape Machine (PDRW),. Shotgun Sawyer (PDRW), Rifflord (PDRW), Horseburner, HTSOB and more!
Plus from Planet Desert Rock Weekend v2 we had 4 international bands that eventually would be part of the Ripple Split Series “Turned to Stone”. Mr. Bison (Italy), Saturna (Spain), Captain Caravan (Norway) and Kaiser (Finland) with 3 of them being curated by VRR’s John Gist.
So it only made sense as we were coming up with the roster for PDRW V that we do a night dedicated to such a fantastic label as Ripple Music. Headlining the evening with be Fireball Ministry who has been in a bit of a hibernating mode but has awaken with the re-release of their classic album “Their Rock is Not Our Rock” on Ripple Music. We have two amazing international bands playing exclusive USA shows with JIRM from Sweden and Fire Down Below out of Belgium. The thought of JIRM’s massive epic sound being heard in one of the best rock clubs sound wise at Count’s Vamp’d was more of a dream than anything. This will be a very special set and with Fire Down Below, we get to see a very hot Ripple band play their debut show in America. Long time heavy rockers Valley of the Sun whose Ripple Music release “The Chariot” landed on many people’s end of the year lists will be returning to Planet Desert Rock Weekend after playing the 1st one back in 2018.
And kicking off the evening is new Ripple band Godzillionaire that features Mark Hennesey who was also frontman for 90s grunge era band Paw. They have their new album “Diminishing Returns” being released in January 2025. Their debut album “Negative Balance” grabbed the attention early on from John Gist at Vegas Rock Revolution and Leanne Ridgeway of Mettle Media that helped get the momentum going for this album excellent band out of Kansas.
Artwork is by Fuzz Evil’s Joey Rudell and we are excited to see what else he has in store for us on the remaining shows!
Saturday’s full lineup will be released soon and will include the final band announcement!
We are truly humbled by the response to Planet Desert Rock Weekend V! We will put a cap on how many tickets we sell as we want it to be a cool and comfortable weekender with your friends from around the world!
Cheers, John Vegas Rock Revolution / Planet Desert Rock Weekend
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 27th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Based in Lawrence, Kansas, and fronted by Mark Hennessy, also known for his work in Paw, heavy punker four-piece Godzillionaire have signed on to release their next album through Ripple Music. They join the ranks of recent Ripple signees 10,000 Years, SoftSun and Gin Lady, and the record has a slated January release date.
That should be just about right to coincide with their previously announced appearance at Planet Desert Rock Weekend V in Las Vegas the weekend of Jan. 30. Their addition to that bill was my first exposure to the band, whose 2020 Negative Balance full-length is at the bottom of the post if you’d care to take it on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if their joining the Ripple roster comes from that as well. Planet Desert Rock Weekend curator John Gist has put together splits and such for the label in the past, a little light A&R work, so it’s readily believable he could have a hand in Godzillionaire getting picked up. The band’s statement, which I actually just thought to look for because it’s late and I’m very, very tired, would seem to confirm that. They namedrop Leanne Ridgeway too. Nice to know good people.
From social media:
We would like to thank our family, friends, and most of all our fans for supporting this band over the last 12 years. Without your support, we would not be where we are today.
Special thanks to Todd Severin and Ripple Music for welcoming us into the family. We also want to thank John Gist and Leanne Ridgeway for going out of their way to support this small band from Kansas. We owe you for your support and helping us get here as well.
And to Steve Nuremburg for his legal counsel and support. We cannot put into words how grateful we are for you and what you’ve done for this band. Thank you for being an amazing human being.
Our next album will be released via Ripple Music January 2025. More details will be inbound very soon!
The next chapter for Godzillionaire begins and it all is because of each and every one of you. Thank you!
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 26th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Not that there was any reason to doubt the curated spirit of Las Vegas’ Planet Desert Rock Weekend V with thus-far announcements for the likes of JIRM, Mos Generator, Sergeant Thunderhoof, and so on, but bringing in New Jersey’s Solace and Kansas’ Godzillionaire — the latter of which boasts former Paw vocalist Mark Hennessy in its lineup — only offers reassurance in my mind. Three bands out from the lineup being complete, the possibilities feel all the more open amid intersecting geographies, generations, and styles.
Solace in 2025 will be a quarter-century out from their 2000 debut, Further, as well as six from their most recent LP, 2019’s The Brink (review here), but their volatility continues to precede them along with their penchant for leveling whatever stage they happen to be on. And as regards Godzillionaire, they’re new to me, but in addition to its striking title, the 2021 single “30 Days Same as Cash, Motherfucker” digs into punk-rooted heavy with a shuffling groove behind Hennessy‘s bluesy bellow, a ripper of a layered solo, thoughtful lyric and sharp finish. I went right from it to their preceding 2020 full-length, Negative Balance, which I always take as a good sign.
The full international assemblage can be seen on the poster below — righteous, yes — and fest producer John Gist sent the following down the PR wire:
Solace is a band I have admired for years and the chance to have them as part of Planet Desert Rock Weekend is super exciting! These guys have been killing it on stage since around 1996 and have produced a signature sound that is part metal and part heavy rock. Their two guitar attack and strong vocals drives their style. Solace has played all over Europe including the Roadburn Festival and toured with Orange Goblin but have never played shows out west. We are excited to have these New Jersey legends coming out to join the Planet Desert Rock Weekend V festivities!
Godzillionaire
Godzillionaire is a heavy rock band out of Lawrence Kansas that features frontman Mark Hennessy formerly of the 90s band Paw! Paw rose to popularity with the album “Dragline” and their track “Jessie” has over 2,500,000 listens on Spotify! Their most recent album “Negative Balance” made a strong ripple in the scene with its creative textures and strong vocals by Mark. A new album is likely to be out by the time PDRW V happens. This will be a rare show for Godzillionaire outside of Kansas and their region. We will have this super cool group kick off one of the nights!
We have just 3 bands left to announce, and it may be a little while before these final groups are unveiled. We really appreciate all the amazing support from many of our former fest goers and we fully expect PDRW V to be the biggest yet! Thank you! -John
