Posted in Whathaveyou on May 2nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Continuing its thread of bringing international acts to a waiting audience, next January’s Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI in Las Vegas will host the first US appearance of Fuzz Sagrado, the recent-years project of Samsara Blues Experiment founding guitarist/vocalist Christian Peters. Based in Brazil for I think a half-decade now (time flies), Peters has been trying to find a way to bridge past and present between psychedelic rock and more progressive, synthier sounds, and while Fuzz Sagrado is less definitively heavy psych than Samsara Blues Experiment, it retains the stamp of Peters‘ songwriting that was the defining feature of his former outfit.
Why not just reunite Samsara Blues Experiment or pull together a new lineup with the name? Sometimes these things are complicated. But Peters has said the live incarnation of Fuzz Sagrado (which imports players from Germany) will perform his old band’s songs, so if you live in the States, or wherever, and ever wanted to hear “Double Freedom” live — and you know you did — this will probably be your best chance. Fuzz Sagrado joins an absolutely stacked bill from The Atomic Bitchwax to Huanastone, and there’s still more to come. Hell yes.
From the PR wire:
We like to bring in cool unique performances, so we are excited to announce Fuzz Sagrado (Brazil/Germany) is joining us for Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI! Fuzz Sagrado features former Samsara Blues Experiment frontman Kris Peters and he has put together a very special lineup that will be playing a great blend of songs. The band joining him is guitarist Steffen Schneider (ex-Spaceship Landing), drummer Charlie Paschen (Coogans Bluff) and bassist Raphael Nigbur.
FUZZ SAGRADO in concert will continue the tradition of SBE, playing intense Psychedelic Stonerrock, including old and new titles in an explosive 70s Krautrock-influenced mixture. For the many of us old school fans who remember Samsara Blues Experiment this will be a cool treat to see these songs live. For others this will be a great discovery of a band that has always held a special place in our scene.
Also we sadly must announce that Swan Valley Heights will not be joining us in 2026. We hope in the future they can make it over!
We have 4 bands left to announce and we have some doozies coming at ya! Much love to everyone and their support and can’t wait to rock with you all next year!
From Kris Peters:
“I’m very excited about my return to the live scene. I’ve actually been planning my stage comeback for two years. I was looking for new musicians with the idea of putting together a best-of setlist of my career, including tracks from Samsara but also newer songs (Fuzz Sagrado, Surya) in a well-rounded package. I know what my fans like to hear, and now that I’ve found a great new band, I’m sure there’s no room for disappointment. This is going to be great!”
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 24th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Finland’s Kaiser are the latest European import act to be announced for Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI, set to take place early in 2026 in Las Vegas. The three-piece recently issued their sophomore LP, 2nd Sound (review here), through Majestic Mountain Records, and their relationship with PDRW curator John Gist goes back further to an installment of Ripple Music‘s Turned to Stone split series that Gist put together with Kaiser and Captain Caravan. This will be their second time making the trip. Obviously dude is a fan, and reasonably so.
I’m not sure how much more there is to add to Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI, but I am sure I want to go. How many times in your life are you going to get to see a band like this on US soil?
Off to the PR wire with you:
Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI is proud to announce Kaiser returning to Planet Desert Rock! This Finnish power trio played PDRW v2 back in 2019 and brings a high energy set every time. Kaiser’s newest album via Majestic Mountain landed #2 on The Doom Charts for the Month of March. The band is led by frontman Otu Suurmunne who is also known for his cool mash up creations on Moonic Productions as seen on Instagram, YouTube and other platforms. Their super strong catalog consists of 2 very good album, an ep and was part of an amazing split with Captain Caravan on Ripple Music’s Turned to Stone series that Vegas Rock Revolution’s John Gist curated.
Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI has 4 more bands to announce with at least 1 to be announced within the month. We have also created a 4 day pass that includes Night 4 (Last Call Show) along with poster combo packages as well. We are happy to announce that artist Joey Rudell will be providing artwork for a set of posters and Alex Sonolith will be helping with posters/artwork as well. Ripple Music will be a sponsor again for PDRW and expect to be adding a few more again for PDRW VI.
Thank you to everyone who has helped sell out the early bird tickets and supported our humble weekender! The amount of positive feedback is the fuel that keeps it going. We know it will be one helluva rock and roll party!
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 21st, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Being at just a couple weeks’ remove from this year’s Planet Desert Rock Weekend, I can tell you outright that the comedown is real. Even putting aside mindboggling performances from the likes of Iota, Luna Sol, Solace, Valley of the Sun and a host of others, the people and place, the vibe and heart of the event, and the sense of curation were excellent. It was a great, great time, and it was accordingly something of a challenge to get back to regular life.
The good news as regards daydreaming is that the first lineup reveals for Planet Desert Rock Weekend VI are happening today. The Atomic Bitchwax and Freedom Hawk top the thus-far bill, with The Heavy Eyes and High Desert Queen also making return appearances and Throttlerod traveling the farthest I’ve seen them go for a show since Small Stone was at SXSW. Also, Montreal’s Mooch, Sweden’s Huanastone, Saturna from Spain and Italian heavy rockers Isaak are slated to appear as imports, all apparently coming to the US for the first time.
Already the specificity of the picks — these aren’t just bands who’ll be on tour for new records stopping through town, I mean — speaks to the depth brought to putting together Planet Desert Rock Weekend by curator John Gist who heads the promotional company Vegas RockRevolution, and I look forward to learning more about the stories these nights will tell over the better part of the nex year, in addition to hoping I make it back to Vegas next January.
From the PR wire:
This year’s Planet Desert Rock Weekend V was an amazing success as we had outstanding performances from all 20 of the bands who came to play. This included a rare performance from Fireball Ministry at the Ripple Music Showcase along with ripping sets by legacy bands like Unida, Mos Generator and Solace as well as 8 international groups came out that included Sergeant Thunderhoof, JIRM, Sons of Arrakis, Mr. Bison, Samavayo, Fire Down Below, Omega Sun and Green Desert Water. Our turnout was simply a magnificent set of fans who love the heavy underground, enjoy the killer party & music each evening and want to give all the positive energy into the experience. PDRW does not exist without the feedback and love that our fans give.
So PDRW VI has its work cut out as the curation of the event’s bar has been set high. Happy to announce 10 bands to get the lineup rolling. Speaking of legacy bands, we are super excited to have The Atomic Bitchwax coming to Sin City! This New Jersey band has been rocking since 1992 and always delivers a massive energy to their presence. The band features two active members of Monster Magnet.
We return 4 PDRW players that have put on top notch performances and are super cool people. We have Freedom Hawk flying back to Sin City to rock the stage. They performed not only PDRW IV but also the 1st PDRW back in 2018. They are one of the best bands musically in the scene. The Heavy Eyes returns to PDRW after playing the debut of Planet Desert Rock. This Memphis band knows how to get the crowd moving! High Desert Queen who played a high octane set at PDRW III which was our basic reboot of PDRW. Vocalist Ryan Garney is a great friend to Vegas Rock Revolution and of course the man with the plan behind our other favorite fest Ripplefest. High Desert Queen’s 2024 album “Palm Reader” landed #2 for May on the Doom Charts. Spain’s Saturna returns to PDRW after playing at PDRW v2 and we can’t wait to hear some of the tracks of their highly regarded album “The Reset” that was Vegas Rock Revolution’s #4 album of 2023. They create songs so good that if rock radio was an actual thing still they would be on it. Vocalist James Vieco is one of the top singers in the scene.
Three more international bands from three more countries are next as each of the bands will be playing their USA debuts. Italy’s Isaak who is on the well-respected Heavy Psych Sounds label cruises out to pummel concert goers. They have been rocking the European stages since 2011 and are a high energy band sure to get your blood pumping! This will make 3 years in a row of Italian bands following in the footsteps of Black Elephant and Mr. Bison. From Sweden we have one of the best kept secrets in the scene Huanastone. Many in the know are very familiar with them due to their last two releases that includes 2024 release “Son of Juno” that landed #9 on the Doom Charts for June. They have a silky smooth style and sound that will be cool to hear live. From Montreal Canada as we continue the legacy of 3 straight French Canadian bands(Sandveiss+Sons of Arrakis) we have Mooch. Likely the most unknown of this batch of bands but we have had our eye and ears on them since their 2020 releases Hounds which was produced by Brant Bjork. Their style harkens back to some classic rock influences and a dash of Masters of Reality. Mooch is a younger band and all 3 members sing. Their tracks can stick in your ears for days at a time. Their 2024 release Visions landed #14 on the Doom Charts for June.
Lastly we got a righteous legacy band and a newer band. Throttlerod has been pretty dormant for a bit but they will be firing on all cylinders at PDRW VI . They started blazing stages back in 1999. Frontman Matt Whitehead has been busy with another stellar band Shun which is on Small Stone Records. The band’s sound has wide ranging influences sure to keep us on our toes! Oakland’s Phantom Hound rounds out the announcements for this grouping. VRR has been a big champion of them since the beginning and their recent album “From Boomtown to Ghost Town” on Glory or Death Records landed #5 on the Doom Charts. This power trio has lots of bluesy elements and stroytelling in their stuff.
Already in chats with 10 other very good bands and will release the names as we gather commitments. The list of who we are targeting is close to done and now it’s a matter of who gets the spots. We will have a Last Call Show again and will get a ticket link out for that soon! Some of these bands will be playing that night.
Thanks so much to everyone who has been amazing in their support and love for Planet Desert Rock Weekend. We can’t wait to see you again and party! We won’t let you down.
Posted in Reviews on February 3rd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Earlier – Before Show
Saw some of the Vegas arts district this afternoon, which is new to me. I guess when I travel by myself like this, generally speaking, most of what I’m seeing is bands. The structure of this festival is a little more relaxed.
Tonight is the last of it, and that’s sad, but you can feel it’s time. People are starting to talk about plans for getting back to real life, when’s your flight, and that kind of thing. An inevitable part of the cycle. The community built over the course of this weekend will disperse, everyone hopefully a little better for it than they came in. I feel restored in the very specific way that I’ve only ever found an experience like this can provide.
But, what’s been billed as “Last Call” by fest-curator John Gist returns to the five-band format of Friday night, with Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger open, playing the Soundgarden album, then Iota, BoneHawk, Duel headlining and Luna Sol (plus guests) closing out late. My trust in the righteousness of what’s coming is complete. I’m ready for it. It’s been a good weekend to be alive.
Once more into the night:
Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger
Jason Walker, who was singing and started off on guitar but put it down to concentrate on vocals — fair, considering the subject matter — has played with Gene Simmons and Bang Tango and is very clearly one of those uber-talented professional musicians, and his band operated at the same level. This is probably for the best as they groove-tread on what for a lot of people is sacred ground in playing Soundgarden’s seminal 1991 third album, Badmotorfinger. I’ll confess I don’t have the history with the record that many in the crowd clearly did, but Walker gave it due vocal scorch in standing up to one of rock and roll’s most legendary voices, and it was on point and nearly as ’90s as Godzillionaire the other night, so immediately there’s a tie-in, a flow to the night. This was a cool one-off thing, kind of exclusive thing for the people who are here — something special — and Walker absolutely cintrol-wails as a singer, respectful but not without putting something of himself into it. I’d say I’ll be lucky to have “Outshined” in my head for the next week, but really it’s still “Freelance Fiend.” More on that later.
Iota
I was nervous to see Iota. Not that I didn’t expect it to be good, but 2008’s Tales (discussed here) is a record to which I do have no small measure of sentimental attachment, and last year’s surprise return, Pentasomnia (review here), is no less stunning for the months since its release. This is fortunate, since Iota’s cosmic heavy desert blues is nothing if not lustrous. The guitar tone and vocal croon of Joey Toscano are defining elements, but Andy Patterson’s drums — also production on the albums — and Oz Yasri’s bass lock in that groove on the records. How could I not be looking forward to it? Patterson wasn’t with the band, and they played as a four-piece, with Yasri, Dio Britto on drums and Chris Clement, shared vocal duties in dead-on flow and harmony with Toscano to riveting effect. They raised the monolith at the start, and it was all shove and go and fuck yes, but whatever hearing I lost taking my earplugs out for “The Intruder,” it was worth it. Toscano was talking between songs and said something about how we’re in hard times and we’re scared, but stopped himself and said, no, we’re not scared. Well, I am, so I said so. We’ve met, but he didn’t know it was me or anything. I was out front and the lights were low. I said, “Fuckin’ I am.” A couple laughs. He said, “I hope this soothes, brother,” and they played “The Returner.” It did.
BoneHawk
If Iota took the ’90s of Soundgarden covers and showed the extent to which it is malleable, Michigan’s BoneHawk redirected energy into straight-up heavy rock, some mellower groove, but the real thread between the sets is songwriting. Yeah, genre bands share elements — this is not a revelation, I’m aware — but it’s the way that sharing has been thoughtfully steered that makes the difference here on Planet Desert Rock, where for sure BoneHawk fit right in. For the most part their stuff was comfortably placed — tempo set for vibe; not a complaint — but they did change it up, shift through some push or heavier roll as one would expect. Thinking of bands from other nights like Fire Down Below, The Watchers or even Omega Sun, who are based in large part around straightforward structures and weighted groove — to be sure, the list goes on — BoneHawk gave that side of the proceedings a wink, but they had bluesy aspects too and a bit of strut in reserve when they needed it. They used it well. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Helt — joined in the band by bassist Matt Smith, drummer Nate Cohn and former-but-sitting-in guitarist Chad Houts — told a story between songs about falling down the stairs at the casino where the band are staying and being laid up for the last two days. Didn’t take away from the bounce even a little bit.
Duel
Duel might be Austin’s foremost heavy rock and roll export at this point, and while they were raucous as ever their delivery. “Children of the Fire” always lands with me. It’s a sure bet. The double-guitar bastards o’ riff and charge continue to support last year’s Breakfast With Death (review here), from which they aired “Pyro” before dipping back to 2019’s Valley of Shadows (review here) and daring toward taking a breath with “Black Magic Summer.” Duel have a catalog at this point — Breakfast With Death was their fifth record in nine years; the rush in their music is meta-urgency — and they’ve toured for all of them with the usual plague asterisk, and have developed the ability to go back and forth between different levels of aggression and dynamic more, and time has seen them develop into a richer but no less furious band. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen them, but they have yet to let me down, and honestly it’s getting to be an increasingly high level of expectation on my part. Oh, Duel are playing? Well that’s guaranteed front-to-back riotous heavy, some metal (“Chaos Reigns”), some punk, some boogie, usually done in praise to some arcane entity or blasphemous proposition. So yes, in other words, they were very much the headliner. Remember Mos Generator tearing it up last night? PDRW strikes again.
Luna Sol
Oh shit, Dave Angstrom’s the real deal, y’all. Like one of the best rock and roll performers I’ve ever seen on a stage. I don’t care that I didn’t see Cactus in 1972 because I got to watch Luna Sol nail “Evil” in 2025. Hyperbole? Fuck yeah it is, and nothing less would do. Side note, because in the spirit of Angstrom’s mindmelting shred I’ll go ahead and improv while keeping it conversational: Doug, the bassist, apparently also runs the Denver Bong-a-Thon, which I think might be the coolest factoid I’ve ever heard about a human. I don’t know drummer’s provenance, or his name — I’m somewhere between Zeph and Zeth — but I do know he was class as fuck on that kit in “When You’re High” and the take on Mountain’s “Never in My Life” (for more, see “Cactus” above) and the whole band was fire from start to finish. Blowout classic heavy blues rock. Originals and covers.
The entire time, Angstrom was the consummate entertainer. He told stories that were genuinely funny. He was comfortable talking to the crowd — he called the crowd “his people” and it was sweet and sincere — and so, so, so much fun. I had no idea. Blindsided. I stood up front for most of the set, did take a break to write, but it didn’t work and I needed to be back out so that’s where I went. You have to understand, I wasn’t going into this completely unaware. I’ve covered Luna Sol before. I reviewed Vita Mors, the album they put out last year on Ripple. It was cool. The vocals were a little high in the mix here and there, but certainly worse sins have been committed.
My point is I had no idea that’s who Dave Angstrom was on stage, and no idea about the chemistry of the band or the sheer joy it would be to see them play. Whether I was hypnotized watching Doug and Zep/th jam while the guitar got a well-earned new E string, or Jason Walker coming out for the ‘and Friends’ portion toward the end of the set and the whole band dropping jaws taking on Budgie’s “Breaking All the House Rules,” it was something special because they made it that way.
For the very end, Angstrom opened it up to a jam on — wait for it — Leaf Hound’s ultra-catchy, ultra-classic strutter “Freelance Fiend.” And giving Doug a break on bass for it was the very Adam Sage of Sonolith, who locked in and played around that bassline that I’ve been listening to him practice at his house where I’ve been staying for the last couple days much to my utter delight at having that groove in my head. I was happy for my new friend, happy to see him play, and it was right at the finish where the narrative threads aligned one last time and the music and community around the music coalesced. Those two things, as I have now been fortunate enough to experience, are what really ties all of Planet Desert Rock Weekend together. They are the core of it, along with passion.
Thank you for reading.
—
This was beautiful. I have the best friends.
I am so incredibly grateful. Thank you. I said “I love you” a lot tonight. I meant it every time. Let’s keep saying it. Please.
Thank you to John Gist. Thank you to Jocelyn and Adam Sage (and the weimeraners). Thank you Wendy. Thank you Cate Wright. Thanks Scott Spiers, Leanne Ridgeway, Behrang Alavi and the Samavayo cats, Todd & Corinne Severin, Ryan Garney, Mario & Tim from Borracho, Sean and Andrea, Manu, Treetops Tony (he’s tall) and Phoenix Phil who was gonna send me some Stone Witch to check out but I already looked them up and I’ll close out a week with them at some point, and everyone I spoke to along the way.
I had old friends at this festival. And I made new ones. And I already hope I can come back.
I fly home tomorrow early afternoon. Work to do beforehand, plus packing, so crashout needs to happen. Thanks again for reading and by the time this goes live you’ll hopefully find more pics after the jump.
Posted in Reviews on February 2nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Afternoon – Before Show
“Freelance Fiend” stuck in my head. I’ll talk about why tomorrow. You could do so much worse, though. Eternally.
Tonight is the apex of Planet Desert Rock Weekend V. Six bands, front-to-back with Green Desert Water opening, Omega Sun, Solace, The Watchers, Sergeant Thunderhoof and Mos Generator. A thing to look forward to, and I have been since the day-splits were announced. As has been the case over the last two nights, there will be ties between one set and the next, I expect, and I’m curious how it will all play out, though however it goes, holy mackerel, it’s gonna rock.
It’s also a venue switch, moving from Count’s Vamp’d, where nights one (review here) and two (review here) went down, to The Usual Place, which I know John Gist — of Vegas Rock Revolution; this is his fest — has done a bunch of stuff at, including as part of past PDRWs. I came here trusting it was going to be a good experience, expecting to have a good time, and it has exceeded that. I am fortunate to be here. Happy to be here. If I’ve mentioned that before, it’s worth repeating. Tattoo it in block letters on my forearm.
The room itself is bigger than Vamp’d — I’m not sure I can call it that having only been there twice, but I’m gonna throw it out there and see if I get in trouble — and it’s another cool spot; would expect no less. Gorgeous desert sky on the way in, with impossible blues and oranges and such like something off a non-denomonational-but-definitely-‘inspirational’ wall calendar. At the same time, it was probably as close as I’ve come to what people think of when you say you’re in Las Vegas, still at reasonable remove from the Strip itself, but a fun juxtaposition either way. Yes, I was good and stoned.
It was a relatively early start for club shows and still unlike the bulk of fests worldwide for its manageability, 6:30 or so, and there was some technical issue requiring a new bass head, but two minutes and a fog machine blast later, here’s how it went:
Green Desert Water
Downright electric was the heavy boogie blues and fuzz roller energy wrought by Spain’s Green Desert Water to open the night. It seemed early to bring the house down, but the three-piece called everyone up to the stage to party for Saturday, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the running theme for the evening hadn’t just revealed itself. I don’t know about you, but I dug the gosh darn heck out of the band’s 2021 LP, Black Harvest (review here), and they opened with the title-track, meeting old-soul vibes with not-old-yet energy, guitarist/vocalist Kiké Sanchis a frontman of classic leading-a-trio presence, impeccably suited to the songs, which are class in the leads and shuffle in the bass of Juan Arias García and drummer Dani Barcena, the latter of whom also backed Sanchis on vocals. They mellowed out mid-set and the bass held it with warmth while the guitar went stepping and every molecule coming out of that fog machine felt earned. They were here in 2019, so maybe it’s no surprised they were so comfortable on the stage now, but at a certain point, chemistry is chemistry. Green Desert Water were duly fluid, but what made them perfect to start was the fact that they were electric on stage. Engaging the crowd, thanking Scott from Small Stone Records (who’s here and I haven’t seen him in like 12 years and I got to hug him and it was wonderful), locking in a succession of monster blues nods and changing it up when it served the song, modern in spirit but coming from a classic place in influences. Plus soulful shred and thick low end. Sounds killer, right? They absolutely were. “The Whirl” was a highlight, but speaking as someone who’s had “Freelance Fiend” in his head all day, the strut in “Shelter” was no less suited to cap their set than they were to start the night.
Solace
I did not write one word during Solace. Not one. First time in three days I wasn’t writing during the set. That’s who Solace are to me. Tell your friends you love them. They’ve been on the road since last week. Their tour was over as of the end of the set, and though apparently two-fifths of the band were sick, they brought it as only Solace could, their stoner metal, hardcore intensity and ’90s tonal crunch still so much its own blend. A band able to be joyous while punching you in the face, and not in like some schlock Joker kind of way, I mean the music is a joy even at its hardest hitting — often especially at its hardest hitting — and while I’m not going to pretend I’m impartial about Solace. I have memories with those songs going back over 20 years, even aside from the Jersey connection, doing shows together, and so on. Just as a fan. Whether a club show or a fest, Solace was always the band who played last and blew it out. To have them play second — I thought Omega Sun were on after Green Desert Water; have not yet found out what happened there or if I was just wrong; you can imagine which is more likely — was different in my mind, but as with Green Desert Water, Solace did in fact blow out, they just started doing so before 8PM. Fair fucking enough. Accuse me of playing favorites if you want; you’re absolutely right and that’s the point. As long as Solace are a band forever we’re fine.
The Watchers
Definitely we’re working with the blowout as the narrative. The Watchers, whom I’ve never seen, carried forward a bit of Solace’s ’90s crunch in their dudely heavy grooves, and put it to a classic heavy swing with a thick charge. They went back to the band’s beginnings with “Today,” and gave a showing to the more metallic side of last year’s Nyctophilia (review here). John Gist, again, the guy throwing the party, likes a frontman. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a standalone singer like Goins from Solace or Tim Narducci from The Watchers, but someone with presence and a voice. At least that’s what comes through in the curation to me. I’ve always kind of been on the fence with the band, if we’re being honest, but there was no question going into the set they’d bring it, and they’re songwriters, so you know the songs by the end whether you know the record or not. I bet it was warm up there in a leather jacket, but The Watchers not only held their own after Solace, they brought the momentum of the webbing evening forward with force. They made it a party and closed out with “Sabbath Highway,” because duh. And I’m still hoping Omega Sun will show up sooner or later.
Sergeant Thunderhoof
Come over from the UK hot on the heels of last year’s The Ghost of Badon Hill (review here), Sergeant Thunderhoof brought Desertfest vibes to Planet Desert Rock Weekend V, and in the melody and presence, they were both a logical follow-up to The Watchers and in the role of adding texture to the night in a way that, granted, is less psych-based and more solidified as heavy rock/prog, felt like kin in purpose to JIRM last night or MR.BISON the night before. Sergeant Thunderhoof’s name isn’t all-caps, but their sound has a breadth and range, and the vibe is that much richer for what they’re bringing to it. They did “Blood Moon” and “Salvation for the Soul” (catchy catchy catchy and they nailed it; harmonies on point) from the new album, but they’ve got a catalog to draw from at this point and they’ve never been here before, so it makes sense they’d want to represent more than just the latest LP, which they did anyway. Some metal-feeling roots came through for sure, but they weren’t lacking for swing despite the push and sprawl and purpose behind each of their turns. The singer wrapping himself in a US flag near the end left me cold, but such are the times we live in. I have to wonder if they won’t be back in the US before too long.
Mos Generator
I was talking to someone earlier this evening about oldschool bands, second-gen stoner if we’re on the fourth now, maybe, not getting their due. Hi, Mos Generator. Draw that line right to Fireball Ministry headlining as well. My first time seeing the Mk. I lineup of the Port Orchard, Washington-based stalwart heavy rockers, with Shawn Johnson drumming and Scooter Haslip on bass, Tony Reed of course holding down guitar and vocals. Special band, and no, they’ve never really gotten their due. Their latest work, with the new lineup — Jono Garrett on drums, Sean Booth on bass — leans more into prog and is more introspective in spirit, but onstage they dove in hard. Reed: “I feel like boogieing, you feel like boogieing?” And then they go ripshit on “Breaker” from Electric Mountain Majesty (review here) — “Don’t waste your time trying to save my life/ I’m dying now the way I want to” — and even as dark as that sentiment is, that song just moves and moves. They followed it with the roll of “Step Up” and jammed out the solo a bit, which ruled, and then before I knew it they were wrapping up saying they needed to immediately drive 24 hours straight to get I’m not quite sure where and split. Get in, kick ass, get out. They could give a shit for getting their due. Places to go.
Omega Sun
Found them! Turns out the Slovenian trio were closing out in a post-headliner position. They appeared lower on the poster, hence my confusion. In any case, they held a fair amount of people in the room and the songs left no question why. This is their second time here, but my first, and they brought big-groove riffs in classic desert rock fashion. Nothing too fancy — bassist/vocalist Igor Kukanja, guitarist Aris Demirović, drummer Sebastian Vrbnjak — but they’ve got riffs, melody, hooks and volume and they know what they’re doing with them. Their second full-length, Roadkill (review here), came out in 2023, and though it was late by the time they were done, the showing they gave was righteous. If you’re in this for more than five minutes, you know that desert rock outgrew Californian geographic exclusivity decades ago, so a Slovenian desert band isn’t super-crazy, but you sure don’t get to see one kill it as Omega Sun did every day, even if you’re entrenched in the country’s native underground. They shouted they last song out to John, as will happen, and hit into a drive that was both of-genre and their own chemistry, stamp and tone. One last big-riff finish, and it was over, a final emphasis for the day on the idea of community; people from different places coming together to share common interest and experience. In that, they were no less suited to cap than Green Desert Water had been to open, and the flow of the night in sound, style, idea and logistics was ideal, right unto the thanks and goodnight. They bought a $100 Epiphone guitar to play their tour and gave it away when they were done.
—
This was a really, really good day.
I still kind of have “Freelance Fiend” in my head, but I’m too tired to strut. More pics after the jump, and more words tomorrow as Planet Desert Rock Weekend V moves back to Count’s Vamp’d to close out.
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 Reviews on January 31st, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Earlier – Before Show
Oh shit, I’m in Las Vegas. I opened the window four times on the five-and-a-half-hour flight here. Once was at Newark. Two in the air: the Rockies and the desert. And the last was at the gate after landing. My wife had recommended I watch the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. I may yet on the way home, but I played Zelda the entire time I was in the air. I slaughtered every lynel in Hyrule and they all came back to life and I did it again.
Adam Sage of the band Sonolith, who it turns out is quite a generous dude, kindly offered to put me up for the weekend — thank you, Adam and Jocelyn — and even picked me up at the airport. A stop at the grocery store and the weed store and I’ll of a sudden I’m hanging among the antiques and Weimaraner swag listening to Spaceslug, which was the right call, with a couple hours before the show. Mellow hangs. May it be a theme for the weekend.
Four bands tonight: Unida, MR.BISON, Sons of Arrakis and Samavayo. That’s California, Italy, Canada and Germany represented. Tell me the last time you saw a bill like that.
Okay? So that’s kind of the thing about this fest — it’s not big, but it’s stacked, and it’s thoughtfully curated. Of the four bands playing tonight, the only one I’ve seen is Unida, and it was a different incarnation of the band. Tomorrow is five bands, Saturday is six, Sunday is five, but each one brings something special to the mix. They’re all here for a reason. The whole weekend’s going to be a blast.
Just like you’ve heard in all those heavy metal songs about the night, here’s ‘the night’:
Samavayo
Samavayo aren’t the only reason I’m here this weekend, but they’re a big part of it. The Berlin-based three-piece have made a low-key tour of coming to the US for the first time, and the last show is tomorrow in Los Angeles. They locked into a groove and didn’t look back. The intricacy of their songwriting, and their blend of influences remains their own. Not that there was any doubt, but they did very much sound like they’d been on tour for a week, which they have been. Tight, having a good time, making the sing-along at the start of “I Keep on Rolling” extra fun, outright nailing the three-part vocal in “Vatan.” The kick drum pedal broke, which gave guitarist/vocalist Behrang Alavi a chance to thank the crowd and sound sincere in talking about how kindly they’ve been treated on their first US trip. The way they open up to a chorus, where you don’t even realize why your stomach was tight until the tension releases, how the songs seem to follow linear paths even in verses and choruses. This was my first time seeing them, and meeting then. I feel fortunate to have been able to do both. They go to L.A. tomorrow and then are out, taking their big grooves with them. It was lucky for those who got to see the band they brought them in the first place, let alone have them set a nigh-on-unreachable standard for the rest of the weekend with the big rock finish at the end of the set.
Sons of Arrakis
Another first for me were Canada’s Dune-themed melodic heavy rockers Sons of Arrakis. They were younger than I was expecting — which isn’t actually weird but kind of was anyway because I’ve seen photos of them before, but whatever. Very clearly a band working from an envisioned methodology of craft and performance. The four-piece are out supporting their second album, Volume II (review here), and they brought the songs to Vegas with due push, referencing 1970s rock but not necessarily boogie. I think maybe they’re what modern heavy rock sounds like. I’m cool with that. They spliced in on-theme samples between the songs and didn’t say much from the stage accordingly, but the riffs are there and the songs they make from them are memorable. Somehow I doubt this will be the last time I run into them at a festival setting, and at least now I know enough to look forward to the next one. I feel like their next album will tell a lot of the tale about the band they ultimately want to and will be, but go see them in the meantime so you can feel cool later.
MR.BISON
When I talk about Planet Desert Rock Weekend being impeccably and purposefully curated, from here on out I’ll cite the vibe liquefaction of Italy’s MR.BISON as an example from here on out. Neither Sons of Arrakis nor Samavayo were without some flourish in their sound, but the keys in MR.BISON, the effects on the guitars and vocals, made it something else. A shift in sound from the first two of the night, but the point is there’s a linear sense to it all. There’s a story being told in the progression from one band to the next, and MR.BISON tripped it out at just the right moment to feel like what the night has been leading toward up to this point — which happens to be true, technically — and pull off that vibe-shift, but still hold onto some sense of heavy continuity, while also daring funk and floaty solos back to back. They have grown into being this band, and that maturity suits them, but the songs were expansive even at their most thrusted, and a spacious feeling pervaded, highlighting some of the mood of last year’s Echoes From the Universe (review here) while seeing an overarching groove and hitting into a few bigger moments, double-tracking vocals live with effects. I guess the word is dynamic. At the very least, they were that. They were also a bunch of other stuff that all rounds down to awesome.
Unida
Enter the headliner. The “new” Unida — vocalist Mark Sunshine, guitarist Arthur Seay, bassist Collyn McCoy and drummer Mike Cancino — have a couple years under their belt at this point, and they absolutely owned the room from the moment they started. They seemed to find another level of volume, and it’s not like the evening had been lacking to that point, and used it to deliver a pro-shop, touring-band-type set. Old songs and new in set, which was fun. I’m eager to hear this band move forward, and writing new songs counts big as a part of that, as much as I have an affection for Unida classics. It’s been 12 years, but last time I saw them was at Desertfest London 2013 (review here), and that was a different kind of novelty, but now that I’ve seen this Unida, having seen that one, they’ve got something that could work. On stage, it already does, with Sunshine giving due homage to the band’s original era while beginning to put a stamp of his own on the newer material. I don’t know what the band’s plans for the rest of this year are — and yes, I asked — but they were just right to finish out this night, and they gave the narrative of the successive sets the blowout ending it deserved. There were some technical issues with the guitar late in the proceedings — and during a new song, which I feel like might sting more to start over when you didn’t actually screw it up. A couple minutes of jamming and on-mic shenanigans and they were back up and rolling, as was the entire room to that riff from the new one, and then it happened again and Arthur grabbed a different guitar, which was probably the way to go since they made it through the song. Mark Sunshine: “We’ve been on a journey with you people.” True enough. They finished and sent the crowd staggering into the cool of the desert midnight.
—
So tired. More pics after the jump. I know it was only four bands, but I did a fair amount of socializing tonight and my brain is done. More tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
That’s a wrap on the bill for Planet Desert Rock Weekend V in January. The Vegas-based, somehow-not-overwhelming four-dayer is set for Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, 2025, and promises to be a banger with a lineup that’s been hand-picked from front to back. The final act to be added is The Watchers from San Francisco, who’ll be there supporting their earlier-2024 album, Nyctophilia (review here), on Ripple Music. Sure enough, they’ll play the third night of the fest, which also boasts Mos Generator, Solace, the UK’s Sergeant Thunderhoof, and if that’s not enough, two more European acts rounding out, Omega Sun (returning to play PDRW for the second time) and Green Desert Water, coming from Spain for a fest-exclusive appearance.
Killer night, and not too much. I like how Planet Desert Rock Weekend and its dedicated curator, John Gist of Vegas Rock Revolution, isn’t trying to book everybody and everything, but selecting what makes sense next to each other and building out each evening as its own progression. I don’t have a flight yet, but this is very much how I want to and plan to start a busy 2025. Gonna be a good one, I think.
From the PR wire:
Here you go!
For our final band announcement, we really wanted a band that is at or near the top of their genre as far as songs go. There is little doubt that Bay Area band The Watchers have that in spades! We had this stellar band booked for PDRW v2 but sadly frontman Tim Narducci lost his father. The Watchers released an early EP (Sabbath Highway) that brings it so good if left everyone wanting more. Their 2018 release “Black Abyss” took the #1 spot on Vegas Rock Revolution’s End of the Year list and now their 2024 album ” NYCTOPHILLIA” landed #7 on The Doom Charts for May.
This album as well as Black Abyss were produced and engineered by rock producer legend Max Norman who has had his hands in albums by Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, Y&T, Armored Saint and many more. 2 out of 4 of the members of The Watchers have played PDRW previously as frontman Tim Narducci and Chris “Cornbread” Lombardo played PDRW IV with Spiralarms reunion show. They will be playing on the 3rd night at The Usual Place.
Also playing on February 1st is long time heavy rockers Mos Generator led by the mighty Tony Reed who is one of the premier players in the scene. His recent venture with Big Scenic Nowhere with Fu Manchu’s Bob Balch, Yawning Man’s Gary Arce and others is top shelf music. Tony and the boys will be playing the early years of Mos Generator so expect a lot of killer tunes from albums Nomads, Electric Mountain Majesty and others.
United Kingdom’s Sergeant Thunderhoof cruises over for an exclusive USA show for our lucky showgoers. There recent album release “The Ghost on Badon Hill” is already being talked about as potential album of the year. NJ stoner metal legends Solace will be making their 1st southwest shows on this journey. Honored to have these wild men out to Sin City! Slovenia’s Omega Sun and Spain’s Green Desert Water return to PDRW. Green Desert Water (Exclusive USA show) will be kicking off the evening with their high energy set and Omega Sun will be final band of the evening as they take us to …the Omega.
