Mars Red Sky aren’t strangers to collaborating with other artists and even full bands. Their 2023 album, Dawn of the Dusk (review here), followed through on a collab with Queen of the Meadow that began on the aptly-named Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow EP (review here), and of course they paired for an EP with Year of No Light (discussed here) way back in 2012, so joining forces isn’t unprecedented. Doing so with an outfit like long-running progressive heavy instrumentalists Monkey3, however, is.

Thus Monkeys on Mars. Think of the textures! Think of the keyboards communing with vocal melodies. Think of two bands who both know so well what they’re about bringing together ideas and seeing what sticks. Think of them doing it live.

I’ve heard none of this at this point, but yeah, sign me up for that EP out Oct. 17. Will hope to have more to come on this one before then. For now, this came from socials:

Hey there,

Stoked and proud to introduce you to special project MONKEYS ON MARS, a sonic journey with our long time friends monkey3 ! It fuses our two universes. This project will perform gigs and festivals thanks to Doomstar Bookings and 3C. We will also release a fully collaborative EP on October 17th 2025 via Mrs Red Sound with support from Napalm Records. We are working on the songs together, not each one their side. It’s an exciting stuff that we are dying to reveal!!

The best The Doom Dad wrote this to describe MONKEYS ON MARS:

“Imagine a uchony in which January 31st 1961 space mission didn’t quite go according to the plan. Ham, the chimpanzee, drifted through Space and found shelter on Mars – soon joined by other monkeys. The homonids colony thus created, developed its own civilisation, freeing itself from the very rules of gravity. The music created by Monkeys on Mars sounds like the soundtrack to this strange story.”

Photo credit Cedric Mathias.

MONKEY3 is:
Walter – Drums
Jalil – Bass
Boris – Guitars
dB – Keys and Sounds

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau : drums, vocals

https://www.facebook.com/monkey3band/
https://www.instagram.com/monkey3band
https://monkey-3.bandcamp.com/
https://monkey3official.com/

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net
https://mrsredsound.com/

Monkey3, Welcome to the Machine (2024)

Mars Red Sky, Dawn of the Dusk (2023)

Perhaps some extra interest in seeing how the lineup for Desertfest Belgium 2025 takes shape over the next few months considering how heartwrenching the bill for 2024 was. They have not gone small to answer that question in this first reveal — you can see the names for yourself on the poster below — which covers a range of styles and has an according geographic reach. Note New Mexico’s Blue Heron taking part, supporting their rightfully-well-received 2024 LP, Everything Fades (review here), and note Lowrider because it’s notable anytime they play anywhere. Go them both, along with the rest, if you can.

As regards “the rest,” the names are their own best argument, I guess. Desertfest Belgium has become an integral part of the Fall underground touring circuit, a nexus point where various individual tours converge and split off again, so I’ll be interested to see, say, who The Obsessed will be out with, or how many times in your life you might be able to say you saw Colour Haze and Lowrider on a bill together in 2025. Just for examples.

So yeah, good start. Take their word for it in the “much more to be announced” part too. From socials:

FIRST NAMES! GRAVEYARD, BONGRIPPER, MASTERS OF REALITY & MORE!

Hi Desertfans,

Are you ready to rip it up? Here are the first names for Desertfest Antwerp 2025!

We’re very excited to welcome this divine & dangerous bunch to our stages:

Graveyard 🌑 BONGRIPPER 🌑 Masters Of Reality 🌑 Oranssi Pazuzu 🌑 The Obsessed 🌑 Bongzilla 🌑 monkey3 🌑 Lowrider 🌑 Colour Haze 🌑 Mars Red Sky 🌑 Psychlona 🌑 NEGATIVE BLAST 🌑 Alber Jupiter 🌑 Hedonist 🌑 Blue Heron

If you are as delighted as we are then head over to our ticket page below and grab a weekend pass for a guaranteed three days of sonic delirium 🪐

https://www.desertfest.be/antwerp/information/ticketing/

Hasta la vista!
The Desertfest Belgium team

http://www.desertfest.be/
https://www.facebook.com/desertfestbelgium/
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_belgium/

Bongripper, Empty (2024)

Before Show

Hey, who wants to talk about the weather? I do. It’s fuggin’ cold. End of conversation.

Live on the scene! Sitting in the car. 43 years old.

Unless my plans change, this will be the last show I attend in 2024, and it’s one I arrive at (existentially at least) with some urgency. Mars Red Sky and Howling Giant were on tour together this past summer — this site co-presented the run — but the East Coast portion of the run got delayed and pushed to December. They started last night in Baltimore, I think, and thereby picked up Black Lung, also playing tonight.

But the reason behind the urgency is two albums: Mars Red Sky’s Dawn of the Dusk (review here) and Howling Giant’s Glass Future (review here). Both were among my favorite releases of 2023, and I mention that not just to drop the link like whoops could you click that thanks, but also to emphasize that now’s the time. Now’s the time to see these bands for these records that, seriously, I had on last week apropos of nothing. Just for enjoyment. I want to see these bands playing this material now. So I’m here.

And not to leave them out, only didn’t factor in from the start because they were added later. Their last album, Dark Waves (review here), came out on Heavy Psych Sounds in 2022 and was a big step in their progression and a first with a new lineup. They’re the only band on this bill I’ve never seen. They factor.

This will be my first time at TV Eye — which I’ve already learned today is about as far from my house as Philadelphia, if we’re counting by time in the car; circa two and a half hours — but I’ve been curious to see it and the occasion is right. I’ll go inside in a bit, and break it down by band from there, looking like an asshole all the while as I type on my phone.

—

Black Lung

Haven’t they always had a progressive streak, and a bluesy streak, a thrashy riff here and there? Maybe, but this was the first time Black Lung took all that, rolled it into a ball of heavy darkpsych groove and threw it in the general direction of my head. Turns out I’d been looking forward to seeing them even more than I thought, not the least for the soul. On my head they’re a newish band, but the reality of them on stage — and actual time — says otherwise, even if this was a partially-remade lineup. Like their records, they were both emotionally demonstrative and Elias Schutzman is a master heavy drummer. They plugged an album to come next year and played a fair amount of new material, including the finale “Traveler,” of due breadth and movement. Maybe they’re shifting toward a darker, heavier kind of prog? Then “Traveler” brings out sun. So this is Black Lung. They are more their own thing now in my mind than they’ve ever been. It makes more sense in color, somehow. Note to future self to sit with that record when the time comes.

Howling Giant

What glee. I might’ve been the last one in the room to see Howling Giant this album cycle — they were in Brooklyn earlier this year with The Obsessed and Gozu; I had some valid excuse beyond stoned laziness — as they for sure were a known quantity in the room. And my goodness, they were electrifying. They launched with “Siren Song” and “Hawk in a Hurricane” one into the next, and that was super-fun and my neck will be sore tomorrow. They had some of what guitarist/vocalist Tom Polzine — who nails both guitar face and power stance because he does it from the heart, dammit — called ‘adventure’ in Sebastian Baltes’ bass cutting out and breaking a guitar string, but Baltes and drummer/backing vocalist Zach Wheeler hold down a duo low end stoner jam for just a gosh darn minute while Polzine went to grab a different guitar and the bass came back on quick both times, so there was no sense of tragedy about it. I really, really wanted to see Howling Giant, and they delivered more than I’d hoped for. “Glass Future” and “Sunken City” closed, and between, they played their newly-reissued-for-its-10th-anniversary debut EP in full — “Camel Crusher” still lands — and “Comet Rider” besides. They were a blast and there was still another band I really like playing after them. Why don’t I do this every day?

Mars Red Sky

Speaking of adventure. It was a definite shift in vibe to go from Howling Giant tearing into “Sunken City” to Mars Red Sky’s “Slow Attack,” which lives up to the billing of its title, but 30 seconds later, the Bordeaux trio had both leveled and melted the room, and atmosphere was not in short supply. With the night indeed was three-for-three on killer drummers, with MatGaz making the massive to tone of guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras and bassist/vocalist Jimmy Kinast — the two shared vocal duties much more than last time I saw them, and it worked well, most notably on “The Final Round” from Dawn of the Dusk, and even MatGaz had a mic for parts of “Apex III” — move, whether it was a roll or a turn to something more angular. “The Light Beyond” from 2014’s Stranded in Arcadia (discussed here, review here) was a highlight, as was “Maps of Inferno” with Pras doing his own vocal interpretation of the verses Helen Ferguson aka Queen of the Meadow sings on the record, and when they capped the set with “Strong Reflection” from their 2011 self-titled debut (review here, discussed here) there was just about nothing else I’d have asked of the night except perhaps the proverbial “one more song.” No encore. I think another show was rolling in after, so fair enough. I had two people come up to me and tell me I introduced them to the band. That was really nice to hear. I was just happy to see them since it had been so long, and as they hit into “Strong Reflection” I couldn’t help but remember that The Patient Mrs. saw them before I did (review here) in 2012. That made me smile. So did the entire set.

—

The satnav took me back across Manhattan from the Midtown Tunnel. It seemed like a trap, and it was. I sat for an hour trying to get out of town via the Lincoln. No clue what was going on at the Holland or up at the Bridge. I just sat there, drank some water that I brought with me, and waited. It was not as relaxing as it sounds, but I don’t regret having carted myself to Brooklyn for this one. Now I’ve been to TV Eye — aesthetic is new American old-timey; it’ll wear in; the sound is great and the lighting isn’t exclusively terrible — and I knew this show was something I needed to see. I’ll continue to be glad I did.

Thanks for reading. More pics after the jump.

Read more »

Videomaking has been a part of the Mars Red Sky story since the Bordeaux-based band first started rolling out self-made clips for “Strong Reflection” and “Marble Sky” some 14 years ago. The trio’s ongoing collaboration with director Seb Antoine (also drums in Starmonger) is a narrative thread unto itself in the growth of the band over the last 15 years, and the clip out today for “Slow Attack” from the band’s late-2023 album, Dawn of the Dusk (review here), is among the most cinematic clips the two entities have worked together to produce.

In the spirit of 2016’s ambitious clip “Alien Grounds” (posted here) that included  “Apex III” and “Sapphire Vessel” from the band’s third album, Apex III (Praise for the Burning Soul) (review here), “Slow Attack” uses more than one piece from Dawn of the Dusk to soundtrack the tale being told. “Heavenly Bodies” from the same record also features in the bookending quiet moments of guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras soft-strumming while bassist/vocalist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau clean up the place, at the start making way for the eyepatch-clad leader of a biker gang who’s about to forced-marry the protagonist of the video.

I won’t spoil how it ends, or the twist of plot that becomes so crucial to understanding it, but there’s a chase and a big bad that feel reminiscent in concept of a sans-pyro Mad Max: Fury Road, and with intermittent shots of the band playing the nearby saloon in this apparent Western ghost town, the song “Slow Attack,” which precedes “Heavenly Bodies” at the end of Dawn of the Dusk, makes a resounding backdrop for a tale of bitter triumph over the trauma that’s held one back. The metaphor is there, but also the visceral visual — you’ll see what I mean when you watch the clip.

Which is what I recommend you do next. In the blue text, there are the credits — I bet this was a good day of filming — and also the December tour dates that Mars Red Sky will pick up with to follow on the Fall US touring they’ve already done in the company of Nashville’s Howling Giant. That Dec. 5 show in Brooklyn is among the things I’m most looking forward to for the rest of 2024, and that list also includes Thanksgiving with family, just to give you some idea of the scale of anticipation. If you’ve never seen either band, you’re in luck as it’s a crucial moment to see both, and if you’re in Baltimore, Brooklyn, Boston or Philly, you get Black Lung for a bonus.

Clip and all info follow, courtesy of the PR wire:

Mars Red Sky, “Slow Attack” official video

Bordeaux-based doom-psych/heavy-progressives MARS RED SKY launch a video featuring three tracks off their new album ‘Dawn Of The Dusk’ – released back in December on Mrs Red Sound and Vicious Circle Records.
MARS RED SKY’s new video “Slow Attack” focuses on a biker gang roaming through a retro-futuristic setting. It’s reminiscent of Mad Max or Easy Rider, but the video is more modern, with a female character at the centre of the action. The short film includes the songs “Trap Door”, “Slow Attack” and “Heavenly Bodies” from the band’s latest album, ‘Dawn Of The Dusk’.

It was directed by Seb Antoine at Fort Rainbow, Cestas (France), with the help of Ronan Boudier and Hugo Vandekerckhove.

Video credits:
Directed by Seb Antoine
Starring: Anne-Sophie Picard, Gregory Dreyfus
Cinematography by Ronan Boudier
Motorcycle and stunt double: Dominique Kinast, Floriane Fontaine
Camera assistant: Hugo Vandekerckhove
Accessoiries and costumes: Frozen Joke Creation, Ouicube Design
Photo creation: Pierre-Gérard David
Catering: Germain Kpakou
Set photographer: Jessica Calvo

Extras: Benjamin Monnereau, Rachel Dumas, Audrey Chemin, Marceline Louis, Mathieu Figuier, Germain Kpakou, Piero Quintana

Filmed in Fort Rainbow, Cestas (France)

Special Thanks : Jean-Claude and PVKCR Moto Club

Recorded and mixed by Benjamin Mandeau at Cryogene Studio, France. Mastering: Ladislav Agabekov at Caduceus Studio in Gimel, Switzerland.

MARS RED SKY & HOWLING GIANT:
12.05 BALTIMORE, MD – Metro Baltimore *
12.06 BROOKLYN, NY – TV Eye NYC *
12.07 CAMBRIDGE/BOSTON, MA – Middle East *
12.08 PHILADELPHIA, PA – MilkBoy *
12.10 ASHEVILLE, NC – Eulogy
12.11 LOUISVILLE, KY – Portal Louisville
12.12 DETROIT, MI – Sanctuary Detroit
12.13 YOUNGSTOWN, OH – Westside Bowl
12.14 TORONTO, ON 🇨🇦 Monarch Tavern
12.15 MONTREAL, QC 🇨🇦 Foufounes Electriques
* with BLACK LUNG

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau : drums, vocals

Mars Red Sky, Dawn of the Dusk (2023)

Mars Red Sky on Facebook

Mars Red Sky on Instagram

Mars Red Sky on Bandcamp

Mars Red Sky merch store

Mars Red Sky website

Mrs Red Sound on Facebook

Mrs Red Sound on Twitter

Mrs Red Sound on Instagram

Mrs Red Sound website

Vicious Circle Records on Facebook

Vicious Circle Records on Instagram

Vicious Circle Records on Bandcamp

Vicious Circle Records website

Hey, here’s a tour I haven’t posted about in… days? But, you know, sometimes shows get added to a thing, then sometimes more shows get added to that same thing, and here we are. When last we left US jaunt from Bordeaux’s Mars Red Sky in the company of Nashville’s Howling Giant, the groups had added a stretch of Dec. 5-15 to the in-progress September stint. The span of dates is the same as of now, but the shows taking place over that time have begun to fill in. Asheville, Toronto and Youngstown are new here at least, so hey, if you live in one of those places, good for you. I see an open date where a New Jersey show could be handily slotted, but more likely they’ll split that drive from Philadelphia to North Carolina, because that’s a hike.

Also notable, Baltimore’s Black Lung will jump on board for the first four nights, in their hometown as well as Brooklyn, Boston and Philly. Mars Red Sky, Howling Giant, Black Lung is a pretty sick show. I can’t and won’t tell you how to live your life, but that doesn’t seem to me to be a terrible way to do it, again, if that’s where in the world you happen to be at the time.

Crucialfest tomorrow, though, and a bunch more to go — also Ripplefest, because it’s also been like three minutes since I talked about that, on the 21st — before they get there, as the post from Mars Red Sky‘s socials reminds:

USA TOUR / NEW DATES

A quick update on the US tour with all the confirmed dates in December! Still with our dear Howling Giant and also with BLACK LUNG for a few gigs. Cheers!

TICKETS https://marsredsky.rocks/tour

FALL (remaining)
09.13 SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Crucialfest
09.14 LAS VEGAS, NV – Sinwave Vegas
09.15 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Bottom of the Hill
09.16 SACRAMENTO, CA – Cafe Colonial
09.17 LOS ANGELES, CA – El Cid on Sunset
09.19 ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Launchpad
09.20 EL PASO, TX – Rosewood
09.21 AUSTIN, TX – RippleFest Texas

WINTER
12.05 BALTIMORE, MD – Metro Baltimore *
12.06 BROOKLYN, NY – TV Eye NYC *
12.07 CAMBRIDGE/BOSTON, MA – Middle East *
12.08 PHILADELPHIA, PA – MilkBoy *
12.10 ASHEVILLE, NC – Eulogy
12.11 LOUISVILLE, KY – Portal Louisville
12.12 DETROIT, MI – Sanctuary Detroit
12.13 YOUNGSTOWN, OH – Westside Bowl
12.14 TORONTO, ON 🇨🇦 Monarch Tavern
12.15 MONTREAL, QC 🇨🇦 Foufounes Electriques
* with BLACK LUNG

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau : drums, vocals

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net
https://mrsredsound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/mrsredsound33
https://www.instagram.com/mrsredsound/
https://mrsredsound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/viciouscirclerec
https://www.instagram.com/vicious_circle_records
https://viciouscircle.bandcamp.com/
https://www.viciouscircle.fr/

Mars Red Sky, Dawn of the Dusk (2023)

I’ve been waiting for these rescheduled Mars Red Sky and Howling Giant dates in no small part out of self-interest. That is, I want to see the bands. I was selfishly hoping for a Jersey show somewhere, but doing so in December in Brooklyn — or maybe Philly if I feel like driving just as long in the other direction — should be fine too. I’m not sure what the timing concern was that required these shows to be re-booked for after the two bands are out together starting this week in Chicago, en route to Crucialfest and Ripplefest Texas, but whatever works. The good news is they’re happening at all.

These dates — not the new ones — have been posted a couple times by now between posts about Mars Red Sky and posts about Howling Giant. If you want to come at me for redundancy, go for it. Take me down a peg. I’m sure I could use it. Or maybe even better, just go to a gig instead and let Mars Red Sky‘s richly melodic progressive heavy textures and Howling Giant‘s infectious heavy-pop bounce wash away what might really be bothering you for a while. If you need me I’m gonna go put on Dawn of the Dusk (review here) again. It will have been out for a year by the time they get to Brooklyn. How about that.

From social media:

Hey there!!

So excited by upcoming USA tour with special guest Howling Giant!! Some tiny updates to declare… Baltimore, Brooklyn, Boston, Philly and Detroit are postponed to December and additional dates are added to a second leg in Winter – including a short Canadian trip!!

TICKETS https://marsredsky.rocks/tour

09.03 CHICAGO, IL – Reggies
09.04 MILWAUKEE, WI – X-Ray Arcade
09.05 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – First Avenue & 7th St Entry
09.06 SIOUX FALLS, SD – Club David 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞!
09.07 RAPID CITY, SD – Fairgrounds/Left of the Dial
09.08 DENVER, CO – Hi-Dive Denver
09.10 PORTLAND, OR – High Water Mark Lounge
09.11 SEATTLE, WA – Substation
09.13 SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Crucialfest
09.14 LAS VEGAS, NV – Sinwave Vegas
09.15 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Bottom of the Hill
09.16 SACRAMENTO, CA – Cafe Colonial
09.17 LOS ANGELES, CA – El Cid on Sunset
09.19 ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Launchpad
09.20 EL PASO, TX – Rosewood
09.21 AUSTIN, TX – RippleFest Texas
12.05 BALTIMORE, MD – Metro Baltimore
12.06 BROOKLYN, NY – TV Eye NYC 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞!
12.07 CAMBRIDGE/BOSTON, MA – Middle East
12.08 PHILADELPHIA, PA – MilkBoy
12.09 RICHMOND, VA – Cobra Cabana 𝐧𝐞𝐰!
11.12 LOUISVILLE, KY – Portal Louisville 𝐧𝐞𝐰!
12.12 DETROIT, MI – Sanctuary Detroit
12.15 MONTREAL, QC 🇨🇦 Foufounes Electriques 𝐧𝐞𝐰!

More dates to be announced soon…

Tour poster artwork by Carlos Olmo Art.
Cheers Heavy Talent, 3C, The Obelisk, Vicious Circle Records, Mrs Red Sound.

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau : drums, vocals

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net
https://mrsredsound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/mrsredsound33
https://www.instagram.com/mrsredsound/
https://mrsredsound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/viciouscirclerec
https://www.instagram.com/vicious_circle_records
https://viciouscircle.bandcamp.com/
https://www.viciouscircle.fr/

Mars Red Sky, Dawn of the Dusk (2023)

Having just wrapped a stretch of European touring that found them keeping company with Stoned Jesus, Bordeaux heavy psych progressives Mars Red Sky today reveal the US stint leading to their previously-announced appearance at this September’s Ripplefest Texas, stopping at Crucial Fest along the way. They go on the back of this past December’s Dawn of the Dusk (review here), and with support from Nashville uptempo melodymakers Howling Giant, who issued their second album, Glass Future (review here), in October, that’s two of 2023’s very best records paired up for in-person delivery. Such efficiency brooks no argument.

The Obelisk has presented Mars Red Sky tours in the past, and I’m especially proud to have it do so again in light of the LP they’re heralding to the US audience. In addition to the basic routing here, the tour also answers the question in my mind of whether they would appear at Desertfest NYC with a decisive no — they’ll be in Boise, Salt Lake City and Vegas at the time — but if you’re in New York and worried about missing out, the tour starts Aug. 29 in Brooklyn, so don’t sweat it. More dates are TBA as well.

From the PR wire:

MARS RED SKY US tour announced with special guest HOWLING GIANT

Psych/prog trio MARS RED SKY is getting ready to cross the Atlantic Ocean to join Nashville’s heavy psych quartet HOWLING GIANT on a North American adventure. Their USA tour will kick off this August 29th in New York to end up with RippleFest Texas in Austin on September 21st. All dates and info below.

Brought up on bands like Sonic Youth, The Jesus Lizard or My Bloody Valentine, Bordeaux-based outfit MARS RED SKY had no idea that they were about to become French stoner scene cornerstones when they founded the band in 2007. Julien Pras’ ethereal and melodic voice emerges from a thick and complex rhythm, carried by sci-fi literature’s lyricism. Almost cinematic, MARS RED SKY’s sounding has a peculiar and unique flavour, standing out within the heavy rock scene.

New album ‘Dawn Of The Dusk’ – out on December 2023 on Vicious Circle & Mrs Red Sound – is a genuine conceptual piece of work skillfully exploring progressive and post-metal territories with boundless inspiration. The eight-track album is packed with the band’s overflowing inspiration that has made their reputation in France and around the World over the last decade.

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, HOWLING GIANT blast forth a cosmic convergence of pulpy sci-fi themes and blistering psych-prog songcraft. Across a variety of recorded and live experiences since 2014, have become an essential act of the US forward-thinking heavy rock scene.

8/29 Thu – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
8/30 Fri – Cambridge – Boston, MA – Middle East
8/31 Sat – Philadelphia, PA – Milk Boy
9/1 Sun – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
9/2 Mon – Detroit, MI – Sanctuary
9/3 Tue – Chicago, IL – Reggies / Music Joint
9/4 Wed – Milwaukee, WI – X-Ray Arcade
9/5 Thu – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry
9/6 Fri – Sioux Falls, SD – Remedy Brewing
9/7 Sat – Rapid City, SD – Fairground
9/8 Sun – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
9/10 Tue – Portland, OR – The High Water Mark
9/11 Wed – Seattle, WA – Substation
9/12 Thu – Boise, ID – The Shredder
9/13 Fri – Salt Lake City, UT – CRUCIAL FEST
9/14 Sat – Las Vegas, NV – Sinwave
9/15 Sun – San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
9/16 Mon – Sacramento, CA – Cafe Colonial
9/17 Tue – Los Angeles, CA – Residen
9/18 Wed – Tempe, AZ – Yucca Tap Room
9/19 Thu – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
9/20 Fri – El Paso, TX – The Rosewood
9/21 Sat – Austin, TX – RippleFest Texas

Tickets: https://marsredsky.rocks/tour

MARS RED SKY are:
Julien Pras : guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals
Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau : drums, vocals

http://www.facebook.com/marsredskyband/
https://marsredsky.bigcartel.com/
http://www.marsredsky.net
https://mrsredsound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/mrsredsound33
https://www.instagram.com/mrsredsound/
https://mrsredsound.com/

https://www.facebook.com/viciouscirclerec
https://www.instagram.com/vicious_circle_records
https://viciouscircle.bandcamp.com/
https://www.viciouscircle.fr/

Mars Red Sky, Dawn of the Dusk (2023)

Howling Giant, Glass Future (2023)

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:

www.lickofmyspoon.com

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

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

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

Mars Red Sky, Live at Rock in Bourlon 2023