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.

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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.

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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.

Ticket Link for Night 3: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planet-desert-rock-night-3-saturday-feb-1-at-the-usual-place-tickets-1098543054849

Tickets for PDRW Last Call: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1022254108557

Tickets for PDRW V: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873750791137

FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v-j/1399556780734695/

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V preview playlist

The Watchers, “Haunt You When I’m Dead” video premiere

The Watchers, Nyctophilia (2024)

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.

Night two event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/931143599075635/

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

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/901571638307182/

Tickets for PDRW Last Call: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1022254108557

Tickets for PDRW V: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873750791137

FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v-j/1399556780734695/

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V preview playlist

Once again, the Las Vegas-based Planet Desert Rock Weekend still feature a different poster for each day. The first to be unveiled — and after one-at-a-timing through the lineup itself,  you didn’t think it was going to be all at once here, did you? — is for the first night of the fest, suitably enough, and with the art/design by Joey Rudell (also Fuzz Evil and pointedly not a robot so far as I know) comes the confirmed running order of Unida, MR.BISON, Sons of Arrakis and Samavayo for Jan. 30, the first of the festival’s now-four nights, with the final being ‘Last Call’ slated for Feb. 2.

We have at least the day-split for that too, if not a separate poster and a confirmed running order. Duel, BoneHawk, Luna Sol, Iota and Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger will play ‘Last Call.’ That leaves the two days between for the likes of Fireball Ministry, Solace, Mos Generator, JIRM, Sergeant Thunderhoof, Valley of the Sun, Fire Down Below, Green Desert Water and Godzillionaire, which breaks down into two sets of five. I don’t know if that’s how fest-curator John Gist will lay it out, but I do know that any way you mix those names up, you still get a badass way to spend a weekend.

Glad to say my flight is booked for this one. Still need to shore up a crash spot, but one thing at a time.

From the PR wire:

PDRW V – Opening Night – Thursday January 30th

Vegas Rock Revolution is excited to announce Night 1 of Planet Desert Rock Weekend V with a bang! Desert legends Unida will be headlining opening night along with 3 international bands to get the party started at Count’s Vamp’d in Las Vegas on Thursday January 30th. Unida reemerged back onto the scene just a few years back with the blessing of John Garcia as Arthur Seay (Guitars) and Mike Cancino continue the band’s legacy of melting faces each performance.

On vocals is the very talented Mark Sunshine who of recent years has been lending his vocal prowess to Patriarchs in Black. On bass is musician madman Collyn Mccoy who brings the thunder! We felt it appropriate to have Arthur Seay’s crew kick off PDRW as he and Mike were part of the very first night of PDRW for A Night with John Garcia. VRR has had Unida multi times for shows and they bring it hard and heavy!

Mr. Bison out of Italy on the heels of their very successful 2024 release “Echoes From the Universe” (#2 on the February Doom Charts) on Heavy Psych Sounds will be playing directly before Unida and we are grateful to have them return to PDRW. Their sound has expanded since adding a multi-instrumentalist to the fold that will sure be cool to see and hear.

Montreal’s Sons of Arrakis also is having an amazing year in which they released their 2nd album “Volume 2” to great acclaim including landing #3 on the June Doom Charts right behind Greenleaf and FU Manchu. Their accessible hard rocking sound has caught fire so much so that they get over 82,000 Spotify plays a month currently!

Opening then night will be Germany’s Samavayo who will be playing the USA for the 1st time on this trip, They have been rocking since 2003 and have creatively evolved each of their albums over the years. Their last release “Payan” landed #2 on the Doom Charts for March 2022 and featured guests’ appearance by Elder’s Nick DiSalvo, Tommi Holappa of Greenleaf and more! Their high energy rocking style is perfect to light the fire for the night.

We will have Night 2 of PDRW V announced within a week along with ticket sales.

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/901571638307182/

Tickets for PDRW Last Call: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1022254108557

Tickets for PDRW V: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873750791137

FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v-j/1399556780734695/

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V preview playlist

As one might have suspected, the final act to be added to Planet Desert Rock Weekend V‘s ‘Last Call’ final-day lineup is a doozy. Austin marauders Duel will make their way westward to Las Vegas to top the bill, which has been unveiled piecemeal as featuring BoneHawk, Iota, Luna Sol and Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger — the latter a covers set celebrating the Soundgarden album — and has turned out to be a party with no less a sense of curation than that which is bringing Sergeant Thunderhoof to the US for the first time to play the fest-proper. Planet Desert Rock Weekend happens at the behest of Vegas Rock Revolution aka promoter John Gist, who believed Vegas could be a place for heavy rock to dwell before many, then went ahead and proved the concept himself.

I think this is the end of Planet Desert Rock Weekend V‘s lineup reveals — though there’s always the potential for things to change — so I’ve included the poster for the fest-proper so you get the full picture of what the weekend looks like. It’s a sight I’m trying hard to get there to see for myself.

From the PR wire:

PDRW Last Call final band announcement – DUEL

Alright we are super excited to announce our final band for Planet Desert Rock Weekend V – Last Call on February 2nd at Sinwave in the Arts District in Las Vegas! We are bringing in a former Vegas Rock Revolution band from Austin Texas… DUEL! These guys have been putting out spectacular albums since 2016 as they have 5 studio albums and 2 live albums. Their latest album “Breakfast With Death” on Heavy Psych Sounds Records took it up a notch in heaviness and landed #5 on the July Doom Charts as voted on my insiders from around the world. Duel has toured all over the world and continuously brought a smoking set to each crowd. They are a can’t miss kinda band live and will be wild to see their new heavier stuff incorporated into their sets. And lastly frontman Tom Frank may have the best hair in the heavy underground!

We think the blending of having this wildly good heavy rock/ doom band (Duel) from Texas pairing with bluesy hard rocking Luna Sol (Dave Angstrom from Hermano fronted) from Denver along with the mighty Bonehawk who is a premier stoner rock band with amazing harmonies out of Michigan and then a rare appearance from heavy psychers Iota out of Utah whose 2024 album “Pentasomnia) will give our rocking fans an adventure in live heavy music. And starting off that show is Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger who will play most of that iconic grunge era album along with a few older tracks to get the party going.

Jason recently toured as part of the Gene Simmons band in Europe alongside Brian Tichy ( Whitesnake/ Pride and Glory/etc) and Brent Woods (a Randy Rhoads student). Word has it Dave Angstrom (Luna Sol) has a few tricks up his sleeve for their set which will be final band of the evening. We are so honored to have such talented bands joining us for all 4 nights of Planet Desert Rock Weekend V and we have one more band to announce in the near future. VRR is very humbled to get such great support and feedback about PDRW V! Legacy bands like Fireball Ministry, Unida, Solace, Mos Generator don’t play a ton of shows in the states and pair that with 8 international bands joining us from all over the world truly personify what we try to achieve at PDRW. Sergeant Thunderhoof and Fire Down Below will be playing exclusively PDRW V while in the states.

See you in Vegas!

Tickets for PDRW Last Call: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1022254108557

Tickets for PDRW V: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873750791137

FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v-j/1399556780734695/

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V preview playlist

The penultimate announcement from the Vth edition of the Las Vegas-based Planet Desert Rock Weekend brings Jason Walker back to the proceedings. Walker appeared at the second Planet Desert Rock Weekend in 2019 with his band, Jason Walker and the Majestic 12, and for PDRWV, the also-Vegas-bassed guitarist tapped to tour as part of Gene Simmons‘ live band will take on one of the most monolithic heavy records of all time: Soundgarden‘s 1991 opus, Badmotorfinger.

Thus the confirmation below of Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger, and it’s my understanding that Walker and his band will perform the album in full. It’s a hard one to take on, even before you get to Chris Cornell‘s vocals, and its legacy continues to resonate outward in terms of influence on new acts, which would seemingly include Walker too. Fair enough. No doubt by the final day of Planet Desert Rock Weekend, attendees will be ready to let loose a little bit, and something familiar made new like this seems like a fitting opportunity to do just that.

I’ve been looking at flights to this one and want to make it if I can. No guarantees in life, but the full lineup, with Sergeant Thunderhoof, Samavayo, Solace, Iota, Valley of the Sun, Unida and others, is a stunner, and putting Walker in the mix recounting some of the best rock and roll Gen-X ever produced doesn’t hurt that in the slightest.

Here’s the announcement from fest curator John Gist:

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V – Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger

At Planet Desert Rock we like to go outside the box with our weekender. This idea came from a random moment one night at Count’s Vamp’d while I was hanging out with Jason Walker between sets at a show. Jason recently just returned from touring as part of Gene Simmons band in Europe playing in front of 1000s each evening. We both have a massive adoration for Soundgarden and I have seen him perform some of the lesser-known tracks with great precision.

So after some chatting, I offered Jason the chance to play Last Call! He will be playing the majority of the Badmotorfinger album but we will also substitute in a few other tracks from early Soundgarden as well. Jason will be returning to Planet Desert Rock Weekend as he performed open night of PDRW v2 (Radio Moscow headlined). Jason is currently in the final stages of production of his debut album that is being produced by Mike Varney who ran the legendary label Shrapnel Records.

Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger + More will be opening Night 4 of PDRW Last Call and will be sure to kick start an amazing nightcap to a rocking weekend! Final band for Last Call to be announced late next week!

Tickets for PDRW Last Call: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1022254108557

Tickets for PDRW V: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873750791137

FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v-j/1399556780734695/

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V preview playlist

Fresh off the Sept. 20 release of their new album, Vita Mors, Denver-based heavy rockers Luna Sol are the third band announced for Planet Desert Rock Weekend V‘s final day, to be held at Sinwave on Feb. 2 in Las Vegas after the three days of the fest-proper. A comedown day, or maybe trying to hold onto a last bit of weekend before real life claims attendees again. Can’t argue either in ethic or, to this point, execution.

Because as you can see, Luna Sol join BoneHawk and Iota on the carefully curated bill, which will ultimately feature five bands. Each outfit here offers something of their own, but at least so far, there’s a thread of songwriting tying them together. Of course I’m curious to find out who the last names are probably in the next couple of weeks. I don’t know how the fest is doing on tickets, but for the life of me I can’t think of a reason to sleep on the decision either.

Planet Desert Rock Weekend founder John Gist of Vegas Rock Revolution sent the following down the PR wire:

Vegas Rock Revolution’s Planet Desert Rock Weekend is always excited to bring back legacy bands that have performed before at PDRW! We do like to put space of 2 years between playing and in this case Luna Sol is a band that performed on the inaugural evening of PDRW when we did “A Night with John Garcia” at the Hard Rock Casino’s Vinyl.

For those that are unfamiliar with Luna Sol, their frontman is Hermano’s Dave Angstrom. Dave over the year has played with not only the iconic Hermano (featured Kyuss’s John Garcia) but also Supafuzz, Black Cat Bone and other bands.

Luna Sol’s recent album “Vita Mors” released by one of the top heavy underground labels Ripple Music landed at #4 on The Doom Charts for September as voted on by insiders from around the world. This power trio from Denver delivers a strong blues based tone to our final evening of PDRW V …. Last Call which is Sunday February 2, 2025 at Sinwave.

We will have two more bands to announce for this special diverse evening of heavy rock tunes!

Tickets for PDRW Last Call: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1022254108557

Tickets for PDRW V: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873750791137

FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/planet-desert-rock-weekend-v-j/1399556780734695/

https://www.facebook.com/VRRProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/vegasrockrevolution/

Luna Sol, Vita Mors (2024)

Planet Desert Rock Weekend V preview playlist