Portland heavygaze trailblazers Blackwater Holylight and Palm Springs locals The Holy Corrupt join the lineup for next March’s Mojave Experience, and the narrative of the festival digging in for its second year remains strong. Blackwater Holylight were out with Elder until that tour got canceled last week following Elder bassist Jack Donovan‘s hospitalization with pneumonia, so it seems likely that whether they’re touring in March or not they’ll be itching to get back out on a West Coast stage.

Meanwhile, I hadn’t heard The Holy Corrupt until putting this post together, but checked out a few of their tracks on Bandcamp, and that’s part of what festivals do too: expose people to things they haven’t yet heard. Their 2024 single “Hate” streams below under Blackwater Holylight‘s 2026 album, Not Here Not Gone, and you’ll find its garage metal residing between styles as the fest info hints. Good fun. Also my first exposure to Muut, who for sure remind of desert rock of yore on their newest single “Ridin’ 62.”

The update, as always, came from socials:

Mojave Experience – March 19–21, 2027
Joshua Tree Lake, California

Blackwater Holylight

BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT joins Mojave Experience 2027.

Formed in Portland, Oregon, Blackwater Holylight have spent the past several years carving out their own place between psychedelia, doom, shoegaze and post-rock. Their music can be delicate and almost weightless one moment, then turn dark and immense without warning.

There’s a patient quality to what they do. Songs stretch out, guitars build in layers and vocals drift through the spaces between them. The heaviness is there, but it isn’t always the first thing you hear.

Across their records, the band has continued to push further into atmosphere and texture while keeping the riffs firmly underneath it all. It’s a sound that can feel beautiful, strange and slightly ominous at the same time, and one that should take on an entirely different character as the daylight fades and Blackwater Holylight settles into the Mojave night.

The Holy Corrupt

Coming out of Palm Springs, The Holy Corrupt joins Mojave Experience 2027.

Born in the Coachella Valley and shaped by the desert around them, this two-piece brings a dark, atmospheric edge to the weekend. There’s weight in their sound, but plenty of space too, with guitars that stretch out and songs that feel right at home under an open desert sky.

We’re always glad to have bands from our own desert community represented at Mojave Experience, and The Holy Corrupt will be making the short trip up from Palm Springs to join us March 19–21 in the Mojave Desert.

Muut

MUUT joins Mojave Experience 2027.

From Yucca Valley, MUUT plays heavy, atmospheric music with a distinct desert sound. Thick guitars, hypnotic passages and plenty of weight give their music a feel that fits naturally with the High Desert.

They’re part of a growing group of bands making original heavy music right here in the Morongo Basin, and we’re excited to have another local band represented at Mojave Experience.

Heavy. Atmospheric. High Desert.

See you March 19-21, 2027

Tickets on Sale Now: Mojaveexperience.net

Artists Playing:
Clutch
Corrosion of Conformity
Fu Manchu
Red Fang
Blackwater Holylight
Fatso Jetson
Nebula
Sasquatch
Brant Bjork Trio
Big Scenic Nowhere
Mondo Generator
earthlings?
High Desert Queen
Black Moon Cult
Heavy Temple
Deathchant
Yawning Balch
Unida
Sons of Arrakis
Warm Uncle
Magick Potion
The Holy Corrupt
20 Watt Tombstone
Muut

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Blackwater Holylight, Not Here Not Gone (2026)

The Holy Corrupt, “Hate” (2024)

Muut, “Ridin’ 62” (2026)