Posted in Whathaveyou on May 21st, 2025 by JJ Koczan
You can see the growth happening in real-time. Or at least on a per-announcement basis. Croatia’s Bear Stone Festival last time around added a slew of electronic artists to expand the horizons of campers hanging out late each night, and now the fest has brought in Festival Buke, which is a thing I’d probably have heard of if I was Croatian and into noise rock, to curate a day at the Mill Stage to specifically highlight up and coming Croatian bands. The styles range as you can see below, but each of the four acts listed represents the local underground in a way that Bear Stone is intent on having as part of what it offers to those attending.
The fest is July 3-6 just outside of Slunj, Croatia. And if you’re like, ‘Well I’ve never been to Croatia,’ I hadn’t until last year either and I promise you’re a more competent traveler than I am. You’ll be fine. Sick lineup gets sicker:
Bear Stone Festival & Festival Buke – Amplifying the Future of the Regional Heavy Scene
Bear Stone Festival is proud to announce a collaboration with Festival Buke (Festival of Noise), a program dedicated to supporting the next generation of artists within the alternative and heavy music scenes.
On Saturday, July 05 the Mill Stage will be fully taken over by Festival Buke, bringing a dynamic mix of young, uncompromising bands and seasoned underground veterans all ready to deliver raw, high-energy performances that echo the spirit of the scene.
The aim is simple: to use the opportunity to shine a spotlight on emerging artists, strengthen connections within the regional music community, and offer our festivalgoers a powerful sonic experience.
Join us as we turn up the volume and celebrate the bold voices shaping the future of Heavy music.
LORD DRUNKALOT (CRO)
Lord Drunkalot came out of Zagreb’s “Thrashnjevka” district swinging like a wrecking ball made of molten fuzz and heavy groove. Doom, Thrash and Psychedelia all locked in, dialed up, and aimed straight at your solar plexus. Massive riffs? Check. Epic hooks? Absolutely. A rhythm section that doesn’t let up and vocals that bite. These guys don’t play, they strike.
After leveling stages alongside titans like Ufomammut and 1000mods and dropping their acclaimed LP “Heads & Spirits” in 2021, they’re now locking in the crosshairs for their next release and you’ll hear it live. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
SHELL (CRO)
Shell are a three-piece band from Zagreb, Croatia and they ain’t here to play nice. They mix Post-Hardcore and Sludge like it’s a secret family recipe, then sprinkle in some Noise, Post-Metal, and Math Rock just to keep your ears guessing.
Their sound? Heavy. Dynamic. Unpredictable. Like a sermon that starts soft, then lights the whole room on fire. They released their debut EP “Throes” in 2023. And now? They’re cookin’ up a full-length album that’s gonna shake the ground you walk on.
10KRE (CRO)
10KRE are a Stoner-Sludge trio from Zagreb. They formed in the summer of 2023, just a bunch of guys getting together and jamming, nothing fancy. But what came out of it was something solid, heavy, and raw.
Their sound? Think Heavy Blues with grit and aggression. Riffs that hit you like a ton of bricks, vocals that demand your attention. They get up on stage, and it’s not just a show. It’s an experience. You feel the energy, you remember it.
EXTROFT (CRO)
Extroft are a young Alt-Metal band from Valpovo, Croatia. They don’t play games, they bring the energy. Their sound? It’s a mix of Groove, Psychedelia, Grunge, and Classic Heavy Metal. You put those together, you get something that punches through the noise.
Since they formed in 2020, they’ve been taking over big stages and festivals across the region. Places like InMusic, Tvornica Kulture, and Vintage Industrial Bar. They dropped their debut EP, and now they’re working on something even bigger, building their name, one track at a time.
LINEUP UPDATE
Unfortunately for reasons beyond our control, El Perro is forced to cancel their performance at Bear Stone Festival. Introducing legendary Italian Doom giants TONS as their replacement.
TONS, the Italian Doom Metal band, are on a mission to crush everything in their path with riffs that hit like a sledgehammer. From their debut album to their upcoming work, these guys have a signature sound that is heavy, thick, and oozes atmosphere like a cloud of smoke. When they take the stage, they bring the heat, and their raw energy leaves a mark you won’t forget.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 23rd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
I’m not going to lie to you, there have been many times in the months since I left Croatia that my mind has wandered back to the misty banks of the Mrežnica River, where Bear Stone Festival has come to be held. I was there for the first time in 2024 and am very much hoping to be back this summer (I need space on the credit card to book a flight; it’s a whole thing but if I can make it happen I want to), not the least because they seem to be growing and that’s cool to witness.
If it seems like a surprise that Bear Stone‘s interest in heavy of more traditional and rocking styles would extend to outfits like ABOP, who cross over into more electronic and techo-based ideas, I’ll note that Bear Stone shares a team and locale with the acid techno festival MO:DEM, and so seems like fair enough ground for crossover and some uniting of worlds. Those shows will be late — they’re calling it ‘The Ripple’; no relation to Ripple Music — but it’s perfect for those camping out, and I don’t know if that was most attendees last year or not, but it was definitely a lot of people. A significant portion of the crowd.
There are also pre-made tent options linked below to facilitate camping if, like me, you’re way more into hanging out indoors and talking to yourself while you type out words on your laptop than you are ‘rugged’ in any sense of the word, but perhaps want to be adventurous. Or, if you’re traveling and don’t want to take a tent on a plane/train/etc., it’s one to think about.
From the PR wire:
New Festival Segment: The Ripple + Festival Timetable
Just as objects of all shapes and sizes create the same ripples when thrown into water, The Ripple at Bear Stone Festival embodies the diverse styles of music that share the same powerful energy, no matter how different.
From psychedelic tones to high-energy beats, each performance sends waves of intensity that resonate with the crowd, creating an electrifying experience that flows through the night.
Following the final echoes from the Stone Stage, The Ripple takes over the Jam Stage as an after-dark surge of sound curated with handpicked acts. Different waves, but the same current flowing deep into the night.
ABOP (CRO)
ABOP (After is Better than the Party) is a Croatian electronic band known for transforming the dancefloor into a full-blown rave without a DJ. Blending acid house, techno, electro, and live instrumentation, the band delivers high-energy performances driven by dual drummers on a single kit, analog synths, and immersive visuals.
Critically acclaimed and award-winning, ABOP has built a reputation as one of the most electrifying live acts in the region and beyond.
OIL X GAS (LV)
OIL X GAS is a synth-rock duo known for their explosive blend of roaring synths and thunderous drums, fusing the intensity of a rock show with the pulse of a techno club. Their commanding live energy turns every stage into a high-voltage experience, captivating audiences with raw power and precision.
In their breakout year, they released a trio of live videos, including sessions at Joe Barresi’s legendary LA studio and Third Man Records’ iconic Blue Basement in London.
BAMWISE (CRO)
Bamwise is a six-piece electronic dub band from Zagreb blending live instruments, heavy bass, and rich synth textures with immersive visual projections. Rooted in Jamaican dub and reggae, their sound fuses analog warmth with modern electronic influences, inspired by UK and French dub scenes.
Known for their powerful live shows, they released their debut album “Soundproof” via PDV records and are currently working on their next release.
ISKRA (MK)
ISKRA is a Skopje-based audiovisual collective blending music and animation to deliver a futuristic narrative set in the year 2088/89. With a sound and vision forged from a “decoded chip from the future”, the four members creatively explore themes of dystopia, resistance, and digital rebellion.
Their genre-bending project has earned acclaim through striking live performances and two concept albums, most recently “Mother Earth Mother Board” released via Diehard Records.
BEAR STONE FESTIVAL TIMETABLE
Presenting the festival timetable for our 2025 edition.
Over 40 bands will take the stages of Bear Stone Festival from July 03 to 06. The festival kicks off on Thursday with performances on the Mill and Jam Stages, giving early arrivals plenty of time to settle in.
On Friday and Saturday, all three stages will run without any overlapping sets, so you won’t miss a single act.
Sunday offers a more relaxed finale, with four bands alternating between the Mill and Jam Stages, peaking with the thunderous Lazarvs set in the afternoon.
Those that need to head home early can still make it back in time, while those that want to enjoy one last riverside evening can wind down with the soothing sounds of the Mrežnica river.
PRE-PITCHED TENTS AND AIRPORT SHUTTLE
Don’t forget that our limited-time offer for the shuttle between Zagreb Airport and Bear Stone Festival, as well as pre-pitched tents and camping accessories, is available only until May 01!
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 12th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
There are a few acts down toward the bottom here that I’ve never heard before, and I like that a lot. Always up for a challenging round of googling, I looked up Monica and found who I’m assuming are the right band, from Belgrade, Serbia. The release I put below came out last Fall — it’s a three-songer and is raw as nails until it spaces way out before you realize it. Cool vibe. How on earth I might go about finding D. is a mystery, but this isn’t my first day on the internet so I’ll get there.
More to the point, Bear Stone Festival looks so god damned good. A Place to Bury Strangers are gonna wreck up the place, to be sure, and whatever’s left will be Monolord‘s to flatten. I am very, very much hoping to be in the crowd for this one — remember hat, remember water, remember… the alamo — and if you see me by that riverside, please be sure to say hey. I gotta get that flight confirmed. Too much daydreaming, but can you blame me?
From the PR wire:
Bear Stone Festival 2025: Second Lineup Announcement
The long awaited second lineup announcement for Bear Stone Festival 2025 is finally here!
Below you will find brand new 16 bands which brings the total number of bands that have been announced so far to 33. We still have 8 more surprises for you that we’ll announce as we get closer to the festival.
A Place To Bury Strangers, led by Oliver Ackermann, has been pushing sonic boundaries for nearly two decades, fusing Post-Punk, Noise-Rock, Shoegaze, and Psychedelia into an electrifying and unpredictable experience.
With a refreshed lineup featuring John and Sandra Fedowitz and their own label, Dedstrange, the band continues to evolve, delivering their most dynamic and melodically daring work yet. With their latest album, “Synthesizer” (2024), the band continues to explore different fusions on a wide array of genres confirming once again their legendary status in the underground scene.
MONOLORD
Swedish trio Monolord have carved out a dominant place in the Doom Metal scene with their crushingly heavy riffs, hypnotic grooves, and haunting melodies. Since their 2014 debut “Empress Rising”, they have continued to push the boundaries of modern doom, blending psychedelic textures with bone-rattling low-end.
With a reputation for thunderous live performances and critically acclaimed releases like “No Comfort” (2019) and “Your Time to Shine” (2021), Monolord remains a powerhouse of immersive, slow-burning heaviness.
BRANT BJORK TRIO
Brant Bjork Trio is the latest project led by the legendary Brant Bjork, a pioneer of Desert Rock and a founding member of Kyuss and Fu Manchu. Joined by musicians Mario Lalli and Mike Amster, the trio delivers a raw, groove-heavy blend of Stoner Rock, Funk, and Psychedelic sounds. Known for their dynamic live performances and Brant’s signature laid-back vibe, the trio continues to push the boundaries of the Desert Rock genre.
MAIDAVALE
Swedish Psych Rock band MaidaVale captivates audiences for over a decade with their spirited energy and eclectic blend of Neo-Psychedelia, Krautrock, and influences from Post-Punk, Funkadelia, and North African Blues. Their acclaimed debut album “Tales of the Wicked West” (2016) established them on major European rock stages, while their sophomore release “Madness is Too Pure” (2018) solidified their place in the Psych Rock scene with its bold, experimental sound. MaidaVale continues to push boundaries with their latest album “Sun Dog” earning recognition as one of Europe’s most innovative Psych Rock acts.
CIŚNIENIE
Founded in 2017, Ciśnienie (Polish for “pressure”) combines Post-Rock, orchestral music, and Jazz to create intense, mind-bending musical climaxes. Drawing inspiration from Swans, Fire! Orchestra, Mogwai, Arvo Pärt, and H.M. Górecki, their sound blends baritone sax, violin, and piano with distorted bass and frantic drumming, producing dynamic soundscapes ranging from Ambient Psychedelia to rhythm-driven walls of sound. Having performed over 100 concerts across Europe, the band released their latest live-recorded album, “Zwierzakom” in late 2023.
WEDGE
Wedge, a Berlin-based trio, has been a driving force in the European underground Rock scene since 2014, blending Classic Rock, Kraut Rock, 60’s Garage, and Heavy Psychedelia into their high-energy “Fuzz ‘N’ Roll” sound. Known for their dynamic live performances, they’ve played over 350 shows across Europe, gaining a solid reputation and critical acclaim for albums like “Killing Tongue” (2018) and “Like No Tomorrow” (2021).
ACID ROW
Acid Row is a Prague-based Stoner Rock trio known for fusing Punk energy with elements of Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Noise Rock, and ’90s Grunge. Since their formation in 2012, they have undergone several lineup changes but have stayed true to their rebellious spirit. Inspired by the haunting Blues roots of legends like Robert Johnson, Acid Row carries the torch of Rock and Heavy Metal legacies with raw intensity.
EARTH TONGUE
Earth Tongue is a New Zealand-based duo consisting of guitarist/vocalist Gussie Larkin and drummer/vocalist Ezra Simons, known for their raw, fuzz-drenched sound and unconventional song structures. Drawing inspiration from early Psychedelic Rock and Heavy Garage, their music blends heavy riffs, dual vocal harmonies, and a DIY aesthetic that captures the spirit of 70’s Sci-Fi. With captivating live performances and releases like their debut album “Floating Being” (2019), Earth Tongue has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting acts in the underground Psych scene.
SAUTRUS
Sautrus, formed in 2010 in northern Poland, is a Heavy Psychedelic Rock band known for their unique blend of Psychedelic, Stoner Rock, and ritualistic trance, evoking the sound of the 1970’s. With six releases to their name, including the upcoming album “Lazarus Dilemma” (2024), they have performed at numerous festivals and shared stages with iconic acts like Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash.
WOLVES OF SATURN
Wolves Of Saturn from Dresden, Germany, are a Desert Rock band known for their immersive sound, featuring fuzz-laden guitars and an array of effects like Plasma Coil and Wahs. Their debut LP, “The Deserts Echo and the Peyote Delusion”, born during the pandemic in a WWII bunker, was released on April 01, 2023 and captures the essence of their unique creative process, blending themes of isolation and freedom into a mesmerising sonic journey.
IAH
IAH is an Instrumental Rock band formed in 2016 in Córdoba, Argentina, consisting of guitarist Mauricio Condon, bassist Juan Pablo Lucco Borlera, and drummer José Landín. Blending atmospheric Post-Rock with the heavy, hypnotic riffs of Post-Metal, their versatile sound defies genre categorization, and they have released five studio albums, including their latest, “V” (2023).
THE FLUKES OF SENDINGTON
All the way from Byron Bay, Australia, The Flukes of Sendington deliver a visceral and cathartic blend of Garage Rock, Funk, Psych, and Indie sounds. Formed in 2024, the band quickly gained momentum with a successful DIY European tour, captivating audiences at festivals like Vierdaagsefeesten Nijmegen and Munich Summer Sessions. With their debut album set for release in 2025 and another tour on the horizon, The Flukes of Sendington are a rising force of unforgettable energy.
FROM ANOTHER MOTHER
Blending Prog Rock, Punk Fusion, and Post-Hardcore, this energetic trio creates total madness at their gigs, blurring the line between audience and band in a whirlwind of controlled chaos. With over 200 live shows and a month-long Balkan tour in 2023, they’ve been spreading love and joy across Europe for more than a decade. Their discography includes two EPs and two albums: “Bratebra”, “Epileptir”, “ATATOA” (Kapitän Platte), and “Zest” (Jeboton).
UMOR
Umor emerges from the depths with low tunings, diminished keys, and a sound steeped in sonic doom, crafting a haunting blend of heavy, atmospheric music. Their music resonates like an apocalyptic hymn, weaving verses of despair, salvation, and inevitable darkness into crushing soundscapes. Umor invites listeners into their realm, where The Sound becomes a cleansing force, vibrating through the core and slowing the beat to an otherworldly stillness.
D.
D. is a three-piece band from Zagreb formed in 2022. Their music blends influences from various eras and genres, ranging from 1950’s Jazz to modern acts like King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Their energetic live performances are characterized by spontaneous jam sessions, creating a vibrant and immersive atmosphere.
MONICA
Monica is a band that captures the raw, emotional essence of desert landscapes, blending the sound of a dying engine with moments of unexpected speed and steady rhythm. Their music evokes the melancholic beauty of a desert rainstorm, where moments of dryness are interrupted by a cloud that brings refreshing, lively change. With their unique blend of melancholic and energetic sounds, Monica creates an immersive experience that resonates with both the harshness and serenity of nature’s unpredictable rhythms.
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 6th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I swear to you that as I stood in front of the main stage at this past summer’s Bear Stone Festival, I had the actual thought-in-my-brain, “King Buffalo would be incredible here.” And so they will. The Rochester forerunners of US heavy psych join Graveyard, Motorpsycho, The Vintage Caravan, El Perro and a cast of others in the first lineup for Bear Stone 2025, which will be held July 3-6. I don’t have a flight yet or anything, but it’s very much on my calendar in fingers-crossed-golly-I-hope-this-happens fashion, and if you want to take that as a recommendation for a place to try to put yourself if you can, do. This was an unhindered highlight of my 2024, and the 2025 edition already looks like it’s going to be even bigger.
I had the same thought about Ufomammut, by the way…
As with last year’s bill, the 2025 Bear Stone Festival pays particular attention to the regional underground. Representing Croatia are Killed a Fox, Peglica i Komandos, Portman, Bizon and Dark Tree Bark, while Lazarvs come from neighboring Hungary, Marcel Gidote’s Holy Crab are from the Czech Republic, and Savanah are from Austria. There’s also French psych rockers Karkara, and Atomic Mold and Oreyeon from Italy, and US garage rockers The Darts. Don’t worry Germany, I’m sure you’ll get a band in there soon.
It’s an impressive assemblage already and this is probably… a third? of the acts who’ll comprise the final lineup. Here’s official word from the PR wire:
Bear Stone Festival 2025: First Lineup Announced + Early Bear Tickets Now on Sale!
Bear Stone Festival 2025 marks a bold step forward in expanding the diverse range of genres we celebrate. While we remain rooted in the classics—Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, and Doom Metal, along with everything in between—our 2024 edition teased an exciting exploration of modern subgenres that are oriented towards a modern fusion of Neo-Psychedelia dipped in Acid Rock that we’ll continue to explore in the future. Join us in our ever-lasting quest of musical exploration.
Even though we’re not big on statistics, we are particularly proud that 12 out of 17 bands that are forming the first part of our lineup were formed after 2012 and 8 out of 12 foreign bands will be coming to Croatia for the very first time!
Without further ado, we’re introducing the first 17 bands that will grace our stages in the upcoming edition.
Since forming in 2006 in Gothenburg, Sweden, Graveyard has carved out a distinct niche in the rock world with their gritty blend of Hard Rock, Psychedelia, and Blues, led by the powerful vocals and guitar of Joakim Nilsson. Rising to prominence after their self-titled debut in 2007, they quickly earned a reputation for raw, authentic rock with a dark, soulful edge.
After five acclaimed records and years of relentless touring, Graveyard’s latest album, “6”, continues their journey, adding introspective depth to their already renowned, riff-heavy sound.
KING BUFFALO (USA)
King Buffalo is a Rochester, New York-based Heavy Psych trio consisting of Sean McVay (vocals/guitar), Dan Reynolds (bass), and Scott Donaldson (drums). Since forming in 2013, they have earned recognition through numerous releases and extensive touring with bands like Clutch, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, and Elder.
Their latest album, “Regenerator” (September 2nd, 2022), is the third in their pandemic trilogy and further solidifies their sonic identity, establishing them as one of the brightest lights in underground Rock today.
MOTORPSYCHO (NOR)
Motorpsycho is a Norwegian band that fuses elements of Grunge, Heavy Metal, and Indie Rock with experimental, progressive soundscapes. Known for their genre-defying approach, they continuously push the boundaries of modern Rock with complex arrangements and sonic exploration.
THE VINTAGE CARAVAN (ISL)
The Vintage Caravan is an Icelandic trio that blends modern Prog Rock with Classic Rock influences, known for their energetic performances and skilled musicianship. Their latest album “Monuments” (2021) showcases their unique fusion of ’70s-inspired guitar work with fresh, Psychedelic, and Progressive Rock elements, solidifying their place as one of Europe’s standout rock acts.
LAZARVS (HU)
Budapest-based Lazarvs is a three-piece heavy rock band fronted by guitarist and songwriter Aron Andras, known for their raw energy and aggressive live performances. With a strong presence in Hungary and beyond, they have shared the stage with legends like Saint Vitus and Crowbar, and in 2023, they released their 5th studio album Blackest, showcasing their darkest and most refined sound yet, which they will continue to promote on their upcoming 2024 European and UK tour.
KARKARA (FR)
Karkara, a Psychedelic Rock trio from Toulouse, France, was formed in 2019 by Karim Rihani (guitar/vocals), Hugo Olive (bass/synth), and Maxime Marouani (drums/vocals). Drawing influence from bands like The Oh Sees, King Gizzard, and Black Sabbath, their sound is a hypnotic blend of Psych Rock, Stoner, and Krautrock, infused with Mediterranean elements. Known for their explosive live shows, they returned in 2024 with their third album, “All Is Dust”, a post-apocalyptic concept record.
THE DARTS (USA)
The Darts, an all-female Garage Rock band formed in 2016, blend Vintage Punk energy with modern Garage Rock grit. Known for their high-energy performances and bold sound, they’ve toured extensively across the US and Europe, earning praise from fans and media alike, with their latest album “Snake Oil” (2023) receiving rave reviews and sold-out shows.
KILLED A FOX (CRO)
Formed in 2006 in Zagreb, Croatia, Killed a Fox is a band known for blending heavy, rhythmic grooves with Psychedelic Rock influences and an electrifying live presence. With three albums under their belt, including the acclaimed “Crown Shyness” from 2019, they’ve become a fixture in the Croatian underground scene, sharing stages with bands like Alice in Chains and Orange Goblin. Currently, the band is working on their highly anticipated fourth album, slated for release in 2025.
EL PERRO (USA)
El Perro, led by Parker Griggs (Radio Moscow) and former Blues Pills guitarist Dorian Sorriaux, is a Heavy Psych supergroup blending Psychedelic Funk Rock with elements of Latin Rock, Soul, and Psych. Their fresh sound showcases blistering guitar work and high-energy Rock, while retaining the signature cranked guitar energy fans know from Griggs’ previous work.
PEGLICA I KOMANDOS (CRO)
Peglica i Komandos is a rock band from Zagreb, Croatia, that emerged from the Jeboton collective in 2014. Known for their psychedelic, progressive, and humour-laced Blues Rock, they’ve released two studio albums and one live album, captivating audiences with introspective yet often humorous lyrics and extended instrumental solos that make their live shows particularly engaging.
PORTMAN (CRO)
Portman is an instrumental band formed in 2004, known for blending Post-Rock with elements of Math Rock and ambient passages to create airy, atmospheric soundscapes. After releasing their debut “Pereskesije” in 2009 and “The Man Who Carries a Light” in 2013, the band has toured extensively and released their latest album, “Stamina” in July 2024.
OREYEON (ITA)
Formed in 2014 by members of bands like Woodwall and Mexican Mud, Oreyeon quickly made a mark on the Heavy Rock scene with their debut album “Builders of Cosmos” (2016). Drawing inspiration from the heavy music genre, especially Black Sabbath and Stoner Rock icons like The Sword, they deliver monolithic guitars, powerful bass, and intricate vocals that captivate fans of Classic and Stoner Rock alike.
SAVANAH (AT)
Hailing from Graz, Austria, Savanah is a Heavy Rock band that burst onto the scene in 2015 with their acclaimed debut “Deep Shades”. Known for their intricate improvisation and progressive sound, they deliver powerful riffs and mesmerising melodies, as showcased in their latest album “Olympus Mons” (2021), which reflects their evolution as musicians and has earned widespread acclaim.
BIZON (CRO)
Bizon is an instrumental rock duo from Split, Croatia, formed in 2012 by guitarist Luka Krstulović and drummer Dragan Ðokić. Known for their complex rhythms, distorted guitar riffs, and powerful soundscapes, Bizon released their latest album “Garnizon” on vinyl in 2023, drawing listeners into intense, looping sonic journeys filled with dissonant climaxes and expertly crafted effects.
MARCEL GIDOTE’S HOLY CRAB (CZ)
Established in 2019, Marcel Gidote’s Holy Crab is a Czech Psychedelic band known for their unique blend of Rock, Kraut, and Jazz influences, characterised by a modern sound. They gained recognition with their debut EP “Bay Of Roots” in 2020 and their self-produced album “Humidity Breaking Limits” in 2021, showcasing a more complex musical expression. Their latest album, “Farm Alarm”, highlights vocal harmonies and acoustic instrumentation while addressing the climate crisis, solidifying their status as one of the most progressive Psychedelic acts in the Czech Republic.
DARK TREE BARK (CRO)
Dark Tree Bark is a five-piece band from Zagreb, founded by guitarist and vocalist Josip Šustić, who gathered the current lineup in 2023. Blending Progressive Rock with elements of Post-Rock, Math Rock, Krautrock, and Jazz Rock, their debut album “Kameni spavač”, released in 2024, on Geenger Records, uses analog equipment to craft a rich, conceptual narrative that invites listener interpretation.
ATOMIC MOLD (ITA)
Atomic Mold, formed in 2014 in Italy, is a powerful instrumental band blending Psychedelic Stoner and Doom elements. Known for their visceral soundscapes and intense live performances, they’ve released several albums, including “Hybrid Slow Flood” and a split with Chilean band Arteaga, all while evolving through lineup changes and expanding their musical horizons.
Hard not to chuckle at the river-rafting group coming down the rocks and being surprised by the jolt of speed, especially when they’re laughing so hard themselves. This place. The clear water, the sound of it rolling, the rocks around, trees, vines, moss for the tardigrades, dirt, bugs, birdsong during the day, peeper-frogs trying to get laid at night; life. Some clouds today, which is perfect. The van came early — 12:15PM for a 4:15 show start — but it’s a pleasure just to be here and sit, smell the water, drink my coffee and feel a little bit of spray to take the edge off the heat. Today I remembered my hat. Stuffed it in the camera bag last night to be sure.
I got back to the room last night, charged the camera batteries, dumped the photos off the memory card, and almost finished wrapping up the writing for the review of yesterday before sleep shut me down. Some sentences require an overnight, apparently. Getting all the photos sorted was a task, but so it goes. I screwed up naming them — fucking Windows 11 is the worst; been considering wiping the machine clean and downgrading, but it would take more time than I’ve got — and WordPress got all dumb about it with replacing band images with the wrong ones, but my hope is that at some point today or sorts itself out. It’s right in the html, so I’ve done my best. I’ll check it later when I get back to the room.
The Patient Mrs., The Pecan and Tillydog are doing well in Zagreb, as affirmed on a video call shortly before coming here. They’ve done a lot of riding the blue trams, it seems, and sightseeing around the city. I told The Pecan she would have to be my tour guide for the city since I haven’t been there yet and she got all excited. She likes me much better when I’m not there. Reasonable. I’m also markedly more fond of myself in concept than reality.
Only four bands today — Vukojarac, Misery Crown, Rens Argoa and Zolle. No jam stage, but maybe a secret set (?), which adds to the mellow afternoon. But even getting here early it was by no means empty, with campers having breakfast and/or beers and bumming around as one does. Existing, which is a worthwhile endeavor. I went a little up the river with Sander van den Driessche from Echoes and Dust, whom I’ve known for years at this point and consider a friend, and found a bench to sit on. He’s got a book, I’ve got my phone to write on, and neither of us minds the quiet. Easy win.
I may or may not get the chance to say it properly again, so thank you to Bear Stone Festival for having me, for letting me come here for these busy, incredible days, seeing and hearing things that I otherwise never would in a setting/context that is unto itself.
Specifically, thanks to Marin Lalič for making it happen. It is amazing and surely not a little bit of work to get such stunning results. To say I’ve never experienced anything like it fails to encompass how fulfilling it has been. I wouldn’t presume being invited back for 2025, but wouldn’t hesitate if that email came in. Either way, it will be fun to watch Bear Stone grow in the years to come.
As always, thank you to The Patient Mrs., who on every level is the universe in which I am a speck of dust (also gas). I am loved, supported, and cared for and about in ways I could never hope to justify.
Thank you to the press contingent with whom I did much of the back and forth — Sander of course, James from the UK, Gabriel and Anya from Switzerland, Kate and Tom, Ewu (great to finally chat). And from the very fabric of my being, thank you to Nelly and Elias for the kindness, the conversation, the rides at the end of the night and a spiritually-refreshing generosity that went well beyond the food. I don’t know that they’ll read this, but if so, don’t be surprised when I show up at your door in Bulgaria.
Something going on the Jam Stage now — that secret set, I assume; someone from Seven That Spells? — but I’m content to let it drift over on the air. Tempting to walk over, put the batteries in the camera, do the thing, but in the free spirit of Bear Stone, I’m going to take it as it is rather than force something. My own aspirations toward the organic, manifest in laziness, trying to turn fatigue into art on some level. Some intensity to be had with industrial ticks and bass wub, but that’s cool.
I’ll need a water refill soon, which means the fleeting moment is on its way to gone, but that is okay too. There’s no shortage of spots to be in for a while, so I’m going to put my phone down for a couple minutes and stare out. Still plenty of time before the bands start, but I brought more writing to work on as well, and if I spent three hours — or two, at this point — taking pictures of plants, insects, rocks and people’s dogs, I wouldn’t be wrong. I would, however, probably be even sweatier than I already am.
—
The first notes and snare hits of line check waft from the Mill Stage as I sit again and watch the churning water just below this bench on the small cliff. It’s about 45 minutes before the day starts, and I’m up for it, despite reveling in this spot, appreciating the time, the little spinning circle of water-plants that has me wanting to dive for a korok seed, and the sound of the river.
But if the message of today is the finity of all things, I’m fortunate to be here now, while looking forward to what comes next.
What comes next, as it happens, is the show. Thanks for reading.
—
Vukojarac
Even their line check was among the nastier of the tones emitted this weekend, and under an appropriately clouded sky with a suitable humidity at ground level, Vukojarac’s set proved likewise dank, if less punishing initially than expected from that short preview as the drummer and bassist (who played an electric/acoustic, presumably for resonance) shared lead vocal roles and both swapped between gutturalisms and morose, cleaner melodies. In combination with the heft of the riffing, flashes of more extreme aspects — I hope someone will correct me if I’m wrong about theirs being the first blastbeats of the weekend, if not the first double-kick — and the occasional bellow echoing out down the river, Vukojarac were still well in aggro territory, but I got more depression than anger in terms of mood. Dark, in any case, but able to roll out a stoner riff or speedier progression and transpose it to their purpose, as they did more than once while the sun dared show its face for a quick minute before again receding, only to return in force before they were done. Have I told you I’m thinking of founding a religion based on modern sun worship and astrophysics? As to what makes it a religion? Five bucks to join (digital transfer accepted, cash-in-envelope preferred). Might make patches too. Anyhow, something clicked and Vukojarac got rawer as they went on, and for sure there was burl to spare, but by then, that was adding to the character of their sound rather than defining it, and while it got mean, they kept up the roll and the now-full pavilion matched it with synchronous nod. One more on the list of bands I’d probably never be able to see if I wasn’t here.
Misery Crown
Low-slow groove saturation. I saw Misery Crown walk up when they got here just before Vukojarac got started, and one of their two guitarists had a Down shirt on, while their bassist/lead vocalist wore one for Pantera’s “Drag the Waters,” and my impression of them couldn’t helped be defined in part by that, though they were more metal altogether. Both six-stringers added backing vocals throughout (the one in the Down shirt changed to A Gram Trip; fair enough), and in keeping with Vukojarac, they switched between clean singing in a Southern, low-mouth style and growls to go with some but not all of their bigger riffs. More double-kick from the drums was a decent fit with the brood and periodic pace-upping, and as they pushed into a building chorus, they were all the more able to serve the song with the vocal dynamic. I split in the middle – empty water bottle would not do with the sun out – but made it back in time to see theirs last couple songs, and no regrets, even if it’s probably not the kind of thing I’d put on for a given afternoon reading to my daughter or playing board games. And considering what Misery Crown were going for sound-wise, they should probably take that as a compliment. That works for me. I had some reservations about themes, notions of things lost being regained, and so on, but I wouldn’t judge one way or the other without reading actual lyrics. They finished upbeat with “10 Years of Misery,” which was aiming catchier (and getting there) more than most of their material, and backed that with due punch to reinforce the point.
Rens Argoa
Dudes in the front tried to get a “hey! hey! hey!” going during one of Rens Argoa’s songs but couldn’t quite find the time signature. I was ready for a change in vibe and the trio brought that with a more technical and quirky approach to heavy instrumentalism, the return of the funk bass, and an edge of shenanigans that manifest as well in the guitarist and bassist swapping instruments after the first song. Adventurous, with some shimmer of psychedelia running throughout, but whoever was doing whatever after that charming initial misdirect in the strong section, the core was urgent heavy prog, and they were just as likely to math out as to bounce on a more straight-ahead riff. When they eventually won me over was the quieter song — I’m sorry, I don’t know where in the set it was and I can’t look it up — that built up gradually around an emotional current in the guitar. I’m a sucker, I guess. They were back to the jabs and bops on the head soon enough, no worries, but the more they played, the more depth their was to hear in their sound, and while the balance was pushed toward the dizzying, that was a wakeup people needed. I’d like to go on record and say I wasn’t the one shouting for English when the guitar player — who started on bass — was talking between songs. Speak your language, dude. Unless you’re telling me my foot is on fire — and it’s not; I just checked — it’s all good. To end, they paired a flowing heavy roll with more spacious lead guitar, and I guess I wasn’t the only one digging it, because the pavilion went off when they were done.
Zolle
Italian duo Zolle had pink balloons on their cymbal stands with hearts on them, most likely in honor of their new album, Rosa. The day had been pretty subdued up to here, but all signs pointed to a blowout to bring Bear Stone to its finish, and the anticipated high-impact fuckery was delivered. Dudes in the crowd were dancing even before the two-piece walked up through the crowd to fanfare and the ringing of churchbells. Energy-wise, they were up there with Melvins at their most coked, and arranged next to each other in the front of the stage area, with stops for beer from the stand in front of them, Zolle let the Mill Stage have it with a party rock born as much of heavy punk as sped up AC/DC’s school o’ riffing. I acknowledge those two might be the same thing when you do the math. The drummer sat on a chair instead of a stool, and that seemed like a good move given how much time he spent standing on it egging on the audience for sing-alongs to parts that very clearly were written for singalongs, which worked, and they kept it up. Not at all the same kind of unrelenting as High on Fire, but a shot of adrenaline just the same and ready and willing to be silly and fun. They finished with more sampled fanfare and were mobbed by clearly established fans and new ones alike. No argument from me. They were a total blast.
—
That was it. I took the bus (van) back to the rooms with a crew of press after saying goodnight and last thanks to Marin and his wife Ivana for having me here. It has been an incredible time, and I’m well enough asskicked, but even in such a state I had to stop and get the camera out for a picture of the sunset sky over the mist of the river. Unfathomably cool.
I don’t want to get into some trite diatribe about how lucky I am, but as I swatted the odd fly off my dome, I’ve also been scratching my head at how I got here. I spend a lot of my time sort of bringing myself down, and sometimes anyone else who happens to be in the room, including my family who I could never hope to deserve. Being able to do this, to travel and see things I’ve never seen, meet people and hear great music, makes me understand in a different way how special my life is and how fortunate I am to live it. With more gratitude to my wife for keeping me alive all these years, I’ll leave it at that.
And finally, once more, thank you for reading. None of this happens otherwise.
Me and my silly ADHD brain left my bucket hat back at Rooms Daniela. Big mistake. Also no sunblock anywhere in my luggage, which I feel like is even dumber now that I’m here. There’s no definition of “adult” that doesn’t apply to me. I should be better at this stuff by now.
That will make finding and staying in shade all the more urgent, and my pale form will burn as though torched like the cosmos by Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs themselves, but cancer is later-me’s problem, and he’ll deal with burns, tumors and such as need be. But yeah, might spend more time in the press area today, which is covered. There are also a couple clouds here and there to provide periodic relief. I’ll do my best, but it is sweat-while-stationary hot. More water. It will be okay. The music will start. Night will come.
Took a ride back into town with friends during Mother Vulture yesterday, as I mentioned near the end of that post, but I didn’t actually get to sleep until around 5AM. I was caught up sorting photos, which on my not-that-new-anymore laptop is less efficient than it used to be, and then just couldn’t quite key down. I guess the adrenaline that carried me through had a half-life. So it goes. I got up at 10AM, so not entirely sleepless, but yeah. The second long festival day here is going to be a trip, I think.
You could see the Milky Way banded across the sky as I made my way out last night, which was perhaps all the more valued as I missed out on stargazing during my recent Southwest US jaunt. A stirring reminder that we are all gas and dust revolving at however many hundreds of thousands of miles of hour around a supermassive black hole, which I feel like is worth keeping in mind anytime you might be tempted to think a thing matters or has any kind of permanence as humanity sits one EM pulse away from the Stone Ages. I could go on here, but it doesn’t seem in the spirit of things to be comforted by hopelessness. If nothing matters, you understand, it’s okay that I forgot my hat.
It is impossible to ignore the idyllic nature of this space; a forested canyon carved out by the Mrežnica, if I have it right, and the swimmers, canoers, kayakers, campers, and lawn-layers are correct to take advantage of the river, the trees, the grass, all of it. I’m a little too in my own head for that kind of whatnot, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing the pricelessness of the physical location and layout both for the attendees now and as Bear Stone continues to build on its to-date accomplishments, as one hopes it will.
However cool it will look in the aftermovie and all the posts people will put on Instagram once they’re back where there’s cell signal, the character of this spot is more perfect than a single sensory media can capture. I could do with fewer dudes urinating in random corners — I get it, bro, you’re drunk and you love nature, but the portajohn is two meters that way and the composting toilet is another five beyond that; you don’t need to pee in the river either — but you take the bad with the good, and as regards this place and this fest, it’s an easy trade to make.
Time to start this thing. Here we go.
—
Azutmaga
I’ve false-started on writing about Azutmaga three times now, which I guess means I’ve had enough coffee. The Hungarian instrumental two-piece — I’m pretty sure the guitarist said they were from Hungary; magyarok vannak, szerintem — got started quietly and kept a subdued, meditative vibe throughout, despite getting fairly heavy at times. They have a new album, which I will want to chase down hearing after seeing them play. Put it in my notes to remember. Just guitar and drums, though there were more effects pedals on the floor than some entire bands had, so perhaps an expansive sound isn’t a shock, but the languid groove hit me with the right kind of soothe, and in my shady stairs spot, maybe 10 steps up of the total a-whole-bunch, I watched as the pavilion likewise casually packed out, the comings and goings. A sprig from one of the trees above me fell into my lap and I stuck it behind my ear. It didn’t last, but I mention it because it seemed like a fitting thing to do as Azutmaga played, delving into some slower nod as they emerged from a wandering drift, apparently playing their new record — I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the name and can’t look it up; I assure you I mean no disrespect — and exploring through one fluid jam into the next, no pretense about it but ready to build it into a fuller nod, patiently. The guitar player spent most of the set facing the drummer head on, turned away from the crowd — one imagines them on a differently arranged stage set up next to each other, though I have no idea if they actually do that — but it didn’t matter. The focus was on trance, immersion, and I was grateful for the chance to let go of some of the anxious buzz for a bit.
Rifftree
As pure riff and volume worship as I’ve yet seen at Bear Stone from the weekend’s second duo — and right in a row; a duology of duos –Rifftree had guitar and bass tones dialed in through separate amps to maximize volume and depth, and it worked well. They were more about rolling largesse than Azutmaga initially, and both the bass player and the drummer offered rough-edged vocal shouts, but it was the way the low and high ends of the riffs were arranged that made it work so well for me. One or the other would click off, guitar or bass sound, then snap back in a manner no less satisfying for being so clearly telegraphed. They sped up and slowed down, more High on Fire here, more Sleep there, as will happen, but the dirty tone was vivid and central, with some raw feedback for extra scathe on the sludge and pummel. It was a threat that lingered when they drew back the onslaught for a nod-out, and the set was more effective for that. Not the first time I’ve said this this weekend, I know, but I swear I heard a Kyuss riff in there somewhere. Fair use in the building of such stonerly shrines. They capped with a welcome insistence of chug and shove brought to a sudden halt, and I have to think that if they were called Bong-anything, you’d already have heard of them.
I walked back over to the Sviraj!Jam and caught a few seconds of Colour Haze soundchecking. They weren’t even playing songs yet, though that would come after Rifftree finished and could be heard over by the pavilion for the Mill Stage, but I could still sit for hours and just listen to that band meander. Gladly.
Acidsitter
Throbbing heavy psych rockers Acidsitter, whose slogan “make acid great again” — it’s also the name of their record — just kind of feels tragic coming from the States, where this notion of greatness apparently translates to christofascism, were a good time. The performative elements of their two guitarists’ stage costumes were contrasted by the bassist who mostly sat on an amp case, but the vibe was potent either way. They wove between drift and thrust, synthy flourish for a touch of prog but not much more than that as their priorities were clear from the outset. They would enact a full-tone nod topped with a duly classic-style solo, but they didn’t dwell in any one place for so long as to sacrifice volatility, and wherever they went, they continued to serve the song or the moment they were in, whether that was vocal effects, a guitar played with a wisk, or a sudden turn to garage-ier push. More bass on the synth was the request, which brought about a worthy rumble to match the bass on — wait for it — the bass, and in true acid rock fashion, they felt punk-born even in the calmest parts. I’m not sure which side of their approach was druggier, but after a while it all kind of forms a haze anyway. People caught on as the set played out, and though there was a near-heroic dose of chicanery, Acidsitter held together around the rhythm section and the close-your-eyes-and-go groove thereof. Another record in the notes.
Kayleth
Kayleth on the Mill Stage. I know their stuff, had an idea what was coming, so wasn’t caught off guard when they space-blasted desert riffing with synth and theremin during “We Are Aliens.” Headlining the Mill Stage puts the five-piece in a tight space, but there’s something cool about that too, right? I don’t get to European club shows every decade, so the chance to experience a band in a smaller setting works for me. I’ve heard a few complaints about how the Mill Stage and the Jam Stage should switch, and maybe that would work, but at least with the bands who’ve played it this far, I don’t think it’s held anyone back. Just the opposite, and that goes for Kayleth as well. I can’t always hang in a crowd press — okay, I never can — but I know that’s not the case for everyone or nobody would ever go to gigs, which I’m told people still do sometimes. Kayleth were easily worth showing up for, and I don’t honestly know if they usually do bigger or smaller shows, but they owned that space easily, like veterans, and put on a show that was fueled as much by heart as by the tone of the guitar. Of course the synthesizer expanded their dynamic, but it wasn’t by any means alone in that between the backing vocals, loud/quiet and tempo trades. A lot to dig, so I dug.
Nemeček
A deeply pleasant surprise were Nemeček, whose style brought together pieces of soulful Eastern European folk, progressive rock and post-metal, space rock, electronic noise and probably six or seven other styles I’m not cool enough to know about. They had given a few short teases during soundcheck, playing half of this or that song, and even from that it was clear something equal parts divergent and special was about to take place. I knew nothing about them prior other than they’d be here, but consider myself fortunate to have seen them. All three members sat, though the keyboardist did get up regularly as well, and the acoustic guitar (or something to it; pardon my ignorance if I’m wrong) still tapped deep into a sense of heavy that was about more than sound in terms of atmosphere, though when they hit a pulse coming out of a melodic contemplation, they had power behind it. That made their set that much richer, but again, that wasn’t something they were leaning on, just part of a more encompassing whole. I wonder how it comes across on record — like a lot of things, the production would matter — but even from the photo pit, the textures they unfurled were unlike anything I’ve seen in the last three days, and they spoke to traditionalism in a way that only enhanced their individual impression. I hear they’re local. In any case, Nemeček is a band I am glad to have seen. Now I know.
Blitzpop
Aptly named, if you take the blitz as signaling the energy with which Blitzpop took and commanded the stage and ‘pop’ to mean hooks, of which the four-piece brought plenty enough for everyone and generously offered them in with boogie as a bonus. Classic in a ’70s via ’90s way, they were for sure a turn from the more severe persona cast by Nemeček — perhaps that doesn’t apply to the catchy chorus that went “Kill that motherfucker” — but even that they made fun, though I wouldn’t want to be the motherfucker in question, as their argument was pretty convincing if you count the tempo kick later in the song. A quick plug for merch, then back to the hook. They were another one about whom I knew squat, but they did a bit of “woo! woo! woo!” and ululating to bring the crowd with them and locked soon enough into a groove that at least to my ears sounded like Rage Against the Machine, not that they were at risk at that point in the set — a little more than halfway through, probably — of only doing one thing. They toyed with funk, but never lost track of where a song was headed, and as the direct sun beat down on the Main Stage, they kept the momentum up. In the back, in the shade, where I was, people ate and drank and chatted and dogs played chasing each other around as Blitzpop closed out with a Blur-style “woo hoo” that I have no doubt I’ll still be hearing on repeat in my head when I’m trying to sleep tonight. Hazards of the trade.
I ate. This part is mostly for my wife, to whom I’ve not spoken in an actual day — not unheard of if I’m off somewhere, but rare even so — but it was such a joy that I don’t mind sharing. It was a local cheese that tasted to me like sheep’s milk and was divine, and tomato stuffed with cheese, garlic and truffle flanked with greens — greens! — that was whatever the next step up from divine is. Transcendent? Probably. Not my first experience with the sustaining nature of sustenance, but after nothing but nuts for the last three days, it was a pretty amazing moment in my life that I’d like to remember. It was so good. I finished those, but have more for later. Still a lot of day left, but the sun has started to recede, which is something else I’m thankful for.
Them Moose Rush
Weren’t the band I thought they were, but were way funkier than that band, so I’ll take it. Distinguished by a tendency toward unexpected pivots, you could probably hear as much noise as punk or heavy rock in what they were doing, but it seemed clear in the intention to get bodies moving in the crowd, which it did through the course of their hour-long set, and with a notable range from their guitarist’s vocals, they immediately felt like a standout. Again, not what I had been expecting, but better. I’ll admit I’m having trouble getting over how good the bass sounds here, echoing around as it does, but Them Moose Rush were as much about the subtly mathy twists as the heavier stretches to which they alternately did and didn’t lead, and that coupled with the rampant falsetto and vocal reach, the badass bass, the ready-when-you-are drumming made for another shift on the Main Stage, but a natural one coming off of Blitzpop, who also used heavy rock as a starting point for their own purposes in craft. They went hard a couple times, and had now-we-riff-big there when they needed it, but they were just as likely to find themselves in head-down push or someplace else entirely. I’ve heard a lot of rock and roll this weekend, so if I’m repeating myself, I’m sorry, but the bottom line is they made their own kind of sense stylistically and seemed to work from the ethic of conforming genre to them rather than the other way around.
1000mods
I don’t know how much I have to say about 1000mods that I didn’t say when I saw them like a month ago, but hell, Greece’s foremost heavy rockers once more justified that title, taking the Bear Stone crowd on a ride that barely let up even when a guitar gave out and they had to fill the time with a sampled loop and cymbal wash. I had 1000mods tunes stuck in my head for weeks after Freak Valley, and if the same happens when I leave here, I won’t complain. They moved the festival into the portion of the night that’s basically three headliners back to back (to back), between themselves, Colour Haze and Kadavar, and I don’t know how you don’t get into them if you have any place in your heart for heavy rock. They’re pros; they take the stage and do their show. And if you’ve ever seen them, you know that means something. “Their show.” They got rolling again after the technical interruption like nothing had ever happened. It’s never a good time for that kind of thing, but if you have to deal with it, before “Vidage” is when you want to. The audience, clapping along to the drums — and with good fucking reason — sang along, put hands in the air and gave the band back the energy that burst from the stage, and whether I said it last time or not, it remains true: 1000mods are one of the best bands of their generation. And they’ve never done the same record twice, or given in to hackneyed songwriting or made any music other than that which they needed to make. Anytime you can see them, yes, do that.
Colour Haze
Speaking of generational bands, Colour Haze were soon to follow. I don’t like picking favorites, but I can’t think of anyone I’d rather see take a stage on a given night. They’re always finding a route, some new nuance, some turn or small improvisation or just some moment, to make it special. They made an hour and 15 minutes feel short, but it’s a festival set, so I’ll take what I can get. “Skydancer,” always a highlight. Jan Faszbender’s keys taking the spot where the horns go in “Transformation,” which closed. Mario Oberpucher playing the melody while Stefan Koglek takes a solo. And what on earth can you say about Manfred Merwald’s drumming. It had character, it’s intricate, tight on the guitar, but free-flowing, impactful when it needs to be. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen them, but I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that they’re part of the reason I do this in the first place. They’re inspiring, and only more so as they grow more progressive in sound and build on their foundation of heavy psychedelia, which itself set a path of influence so, so many bands have followed. Bands who at this point don’t even realize they’re influenced by Colour Haze because the bands they were trying to sound like were trying to sound like Colour Haze. That they were themselves is the highest compliment I can give them. They are my favorite band in the world.
Kadavar
Again, I caught them pretty recently, but I had cheesed out early on Kadavar’s set and lived to regret it last time, so I knew I wanted to make up for that to myself at Bear Stone. I know they’re long past the vintage thing, and I love those records too, but they have so much more room to grow now, and they have grown, and when they get on stage, the new and the old come together and it’s all united by the passion in the performance, the strut, the swing, vibrant. I love that they’re such a known quantity — they’re the last band tonight, third of the three headliners; people are familiar — but I have no idea what their next record will sound like beyond “it’ll probably have songs.” That’s the safer bet, anyhow. But whatever shape that takes, the fact of their delivery is that it’s encompassing of decades of heavy rock while remaining entirely their own. Onstage, they’re part glam, part hard-hitting, brazen rockers, never willing to settle artistically or stop pushing the parameters of their sound, but somehow so sure of what they do regardless of outside expectation or pressure. Of course the set was awesome. Kadavar were on a stage and the power didn’t go out. That’s a recipe for a winning way to close ab evening right there. I don’t know the status of the album they had been working on in the last however long, but it’s a no-brainer must-hear in my mind when the time comes. The same “duh, yes” principle applies to whenever the next opportunity to see them live might be.
—
Back at the room now, falling asleep at the keyboard a little bit. Long day, not enough sleep, blah blah you’ve heard it all before. I got a ride back from Nelly and Elias again this evening, and Nelly was the one who brought me food. She also gave me what she called “mishmash,” which was egg, roasted bell peppers, cheese and I think some tomato in there as well. I ate the last of it like five minutes ago and now I am ready for sleep.
Bear Stone’s second and final long day — tomorrow is back to just the Mill Stage — was a banger. You can see the potential all over this festival, and I’m too goddamned tired to see anything clearly right now. Thank you for reading, goodnight, and there are more photos after the read more thing. You know what I mean.
Hotter today than yesterday, which will reportedly be the trend for the weekend. The sky is cloudless, but I have water and a hat and the sun, and as I walked up to the backstage area where the espresso is the birdsong mixed with the already-tripping-out Svirav!Jam stage — I’d assume they just never stopped since last night, but the group was wearing different clothes, so at least there was a break overnight for some amount of time — and that’s a thing I hope to remember about this experience. The Main Stage soundcheck is loud, it wasn’t High on Fire, maybe ###, but I headed over quickly to the Mill to catch the start of Tight Grips. Less downtime today and tomorrow generally, but the tradeoff is more bands, so yes, all good.
More people swimming than yesterday too — kudos to the dude with the floaty that looks like a pocket calculator — and more people, period, but that’ll happen too after the warmup. I’ve still had no food beyond a pack of nuts, but I’m as ready as I could hope to be for this.
So we’re off.
—
Tight Grips
An interesting blend happening in suitably low-key style from the guitar/vocals, bass/synth and drums trio Tight Grips. Seeing them live is my first real exposure to them apart from a mention in the announcement that they were playing here, but with a foundation in heavy psych, they expand into more solidified riffage — a word I’m almost embarrassingly proud my phone recognizes when I type it — while keeping a rein on meter and aggression but still finding room for low-mouth duder vocals, some drone, a keyboard solo, sampled Tuvan throatsinging, some tremolo guitar in among and the crowd, and so on. Their builds were patient and the nod that paid them off heavy and big-riff enough to draw a crowd from among the swimmers and sunbathers, plus whatever I count as, and the impression they made despite the volume and snare snap was more subtle, calming but not without a cathartic side. Very clearly a band that listens to and draws influence from more than one kind of music, even if that’s mostly under the ‘heavy’ umbrella, and whether it was a more intense crescendo or a dreamier soundscape, crash or roll, they held tight to the weighted groove drawing together what would otherwise be disparate elements and so I guess Tight Grips is an apt moniker on that level, whatever else it might mean.
And all the while, the Sviraj!Jam rolls on.
Quiet Confusion
They were, of course, neither quiet nor confused. Very much the opposite, actually. The French four-piece brought a depth of perspective to their brand of heavy rock, with songs that were casually dynamic, ace basswork, two guitars — plus a cigar-box guitar that came out later — and a resultant style that left the crowd little choice but to be swept up. Accessible in a post-Queens of the Stone Age kind of way, they didn’t shy away from more motor-ready fare, jamming or a bit of crunchy jazz, some blues of course, and though they were heavy enough to fill whatever quota you might have for it, the songs were primary, thoughtfully constructed with dual-vocal arrangements, confidently pushed through their amps, and they leant a sense of range to coincide with the hooks and grit. The crowd under the pavilion ate it up like they’d been waiting for it, and if they had, I get it. Character is the word. I wouldn’t call them revolutionary, but they knew and clearly conveyed what they were about — shuffle included — and were infectious. I watched from the dappled light of the steps in back as a group of campers who I don’t think were attending Bear Stone at all came through in matching blue kayaks on the water. A tour group, maybe. They wound up where the swimmers were but didn’t stick around as Quiet Confusion hit a swinging slowdown and brought out the cigar box guitar at last. Their loss, surely.
Stonetree
Quiet Confusion were a hard act to follow, but Stonetree from Austria had a stoner rock thrust of their own with which to do so, and a vitality that served them well as the afternoon heat bore down. Limited shade to be had, even under the trees in back; I ended up walking those stairs all the way up — for any of my countryfolk reading, I’ll call it a Statue of Liberty’s worth of uphill steps — but I couldn’t find either the wifi or the management office, so I sat for a minute to catch my 40-something breath and made my way back down. When I arrived back at the Mill Stage, maybe eight minutes of real-time later, Stonetree were also visibly sweatier, and the crowd was packed into the shade under the pavilion’s roof such that there wasn’t really anywhere to be. I thought about sitting beneath, like, under the pavilion, but nah. A little further down the path, I found a corner near the river and could hear alright from there, even if there was some space rock bleedover from the jam stage. Gotta survive. There’s a lot of day left. Stonetree looked like they were considering hard whether to heed the calls for one more song, but in the end said their thanks and took their leave, having set their own high standard for the Mill Stage in energy and impact.
Baron Crâne
I didn’t know funk was the theme on the Mill Stage today, but I chalk it up to my own ignorance as so-tight-it-was-like-a-moral-position Parisian three-piece Baron Crâne closed out the pavilion-based portion of the day with noodly-nerdy quirk opening to big-nod groove that both accounted for what everyone else was doing and diverged in another, weirdo-jazzier direction. They were pointedly individual, down to setting up their speaker cabinets facing each other, and purposefully swapping out tempos and effects as they went, more changes in a song than some bands have on entire records, but flowing despite the inherently busy modus. Not entirely instrumental, but more interested in that end than vocals, they were able to land hard or bounce as they wanted, and as they danced around the stage, pulled this way by a riff or a solo or a build or whathaveyou at any given moment — not to imply randomness or lack of intent behind what they were doing — the crowd took it as a cue to do the same. So be it. The intermittent heavier roll served as both arrival and departure points, complementing the parts weaving through and around it in a slew of directions, some surf rock happening in there too, because of course. They mellowed, Hendrix-jammed, but you knew it was momentary, and in the end their blast was propulsive and raucous. That payoff was the most satisfying, but it got a worthy follow-up in the next song they played, complete with a stirring guitar solo echoing out. For the duration: never any more out of control than it wanted to be, riding dangerous turns and making hard changes sound easy. They were pretty fucking rad, in other words. “We have two songs left to play for you. Time to dance. Let’s dance together.” And they did.
Stopped by the Jam Stage to see the end of the Sviraj!Jam for the day. They had it going right up to the Mill Stage’s finish, and people still got up on on the Jam Stage after throughout the day to noodle and bang around. Awesome to see such open creativity fostered.
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Ah yes, the beginning of the day. Opening the main stage, the band whose moniker is properly pronounced by banging three times on a hard surface — I believe wood is preferred — kept it punk-rock short and noise-rock intense with some experimental flashes for vibe’s sake. It’ll be less cool when someone starts calling them Knock-Knock-Knock, but it ain’t gonna be me. No words from the stage — as would make sense, in context — save for some shouting into the guitar pickups toward the end, they were there and gone in maybe half an hour. Or maybe I’m just not counting the stretch of amp noise from which they launched the set. Or maybe I lost a few minutes somewhere. Or it took me longer to get water than I thought. I don’t fucking know, okay? It felt short, and I mean that as a compliment, because if what they were playing felt long, it would mean it sucked. It didn’t. I got my photos quick and did meander a bit — it will be a mercy when the sun sets, for more than just the psychedelic visuals to be projected, but we’re not there yet — but wound up watching the finish by the side of the stage, and they pushed further for the culmination facing into the sunlight. It looked hot as hell up there, but ###, as the first band on Bear Stone’s big stage — I’d say “at last” because it feels like a lot of the day has already happened, but I’ve already established I’m Billy Pilgrimming on time — unveiled hit with a force not yet heard today or yesterday, and the notice they served did not go, well, unnoticed.
Gnome
My first time seeing Gnome. Thank you, Bear Stone. Starting with their new single “Old Soul,” the Antwerpen three-piece moved between more and less aggressive parts in their material, but what I hadn’t realized about the band prior to now was just how much their material was made for the stage. That is, I knew that was the concept, but you see it live and it’s a different experience. Drenched in attitude and self-effacing swagger, they asked the crowd early on, “Are you ready for some more stupid shit?” And given the number of Gnome hats in the crowd, some of them autographed, people clearly were. I’m not sure I buy Gnome as dumb, though. I mean, it wouldn’t work if they got on stage and were hyper-pretentious about playing their songs, but as they hit into “The Duke of Disgrace,” another one from the forthcoming record, with some rougher vocals to emphasize the hook, I didn’t at all get “stupid shit” from it. Their King album was a big deal in Europe — the videos were great, they’re a touring band and all signs point to that continuing, etc. — and I’m not about to argue with that, but they’re toying with the idea of being ridiculous in a way that’s actually pretty clever. The hats? Well, if they’re still doing this when they’re 50, they might find the hats a little stale — or they might not; AC/DC still wears the same shit they wore however many decades ago — and two-thirds of them were off by the end of the set, but they’re having fun on stage, they’re righteously heavy, and they have the songs. To me, at least, that’s the source of their potential. If they were actually just screwing around, if there was no heart or consideration behind it, I don’t think it would have clicked as it has. Fuckery, but with songs, and just the right kind of revelry when it gets nasty. Riffs you want to know better for the next time you see them, and a “next time” that’s a given before they even finish this one. Dudes in the crowd went off. Good band. Look out for that album.
Muscle Tribe of Danger and Excellence
While they boosted the only cupped-mic thus far into the weekend, the heretofore-unknown-to-me Muscle Tribe of Danger and Excellence were as dudely as one might expect from the name, informed by hardcore, and had an underpinning of Clutchy groove that came out in both the quieter and outright pummeling parts, and as the sun went down and the stage lights were visible for the first time — last night’s projection test notwithstanding — they kept momentum on their side and had people out front dancing for most of their hour-long set. I don’t know where in Croatia they’re from, but the local contingent of the crowd — and that’s an assumption, yes; I’m not out on the grass checking passports — obviously was more familiar. Maybe more burl than I’d go for in general, which is what I’ve been beating around the bush of saying, but I’m not going to take away from the vitality they brought to the stage or the ease with which the metal side of their sound came and went, guttural shouts and cleaner singing intertwining for a broader take than the “dudely” tag I saddled it with above really communicates, though I stand by that too. Or sit, as it were, since I moved to the back, the food tent, to psrk my ass at a table and write as the set progressed. No worries though, that punch carried over the evening air just fine. Done well, and at a certain point hard groove is hard groove and this particular Tribe had plenty of it to go around, but not really my thing on the balance of it. That happens. They had the dogs barking approval between songs, so there you go.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
Am I cool enough to call them PigsX7? Nope. Someday maybe? Probably never. It’s typing out Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs every time for me. This would be my first on-stage encounter with Newcastle’s Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, and one to which I was looking forward. There was a half-hour break before they went on, presumably to let people eat — something I again failed on, because I am terrible at being a person; I’ve found an option though, so maybe tomorrow I’ll pull the trigger on it — and in that interim the last vestiges of evening began to turn to night. I moved up to the press area by the Jam Stage-adjacent bar for a few minutes of away-ness, and I think it did me some good in resetting before Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs — oh come on, please? nope. — Pigs Pigs got to it. And when they did, surely LIGO could measure gravitational wave as they wrent the fabric of spacetime with a cosmic thrust that, in my experience, is singular among their generation. I felt a bit like a rube having not previously been indoctrinated, but for anyone else who might be reading this who hasn’t seen them, rarely does lysergic music get delivered with such ferocity. Imagine getting five dudes in a room and this is what happens. My goodness. And not only were they charged, but h-e-a-v-y. I knew they had a reputation. It is earned, unflinchingly. Not enough hyperbole for it. They’re the most most. Stars came out while they played, drawn I assume by the gravity as Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs began fusing hydrogen in the middle of a stellar nebula. Whatever you’re thinking when you ask the question “were they really that good,” I assure you the answer is yes. I wasn’t ready for it. They knocked me on my ass. Imagine a now-heavy incarnation of earliest Monster Magnet prone to fits of cosmic hardcore punk and doom. Hell yes I’ll type their full name. It’ll be an honor.
High on Fire
Jeff Matz on a Boris-style double-neck guitar/bass. Not sure what you could ask of High on Fire than that, but you’re getting the barrage anyway. I wouldn’t trade this lineup of High on Fire, Matt Pike, Matz and Coady Willis for any other in the band’s quarter-century history. They’re tighter than ever, and they have a catalog to draw from that they’re able to bludgeon you from any angle they want, even if that’s usually just straight out running you over on their way to the next in line. They played “Fury Whip,” did a bunch from Cometh the Storm, and were High on Fire. That’s it. It’s a rare band where you know what’s coming and get blindsided anyhow. But that’s who High on Fire are. There’s a reason they’re headlining heavy fests across continents, and it’s because no one else delivers like they do on stage. Loud but precise, hanging by a thread like Slayer at their Dave Lombardo-drummed best, more able now to change up around that core breakneck pace, but absolute masters regardless of tempo of this monstrous, only-theirs fucking sound. And I’ve never seen them, with this lineup or any other, where they phone it in. They get up there and kill. Reliable into themselves. I was here and there as they played, but wound up by the side of the stage near the photo pit, and watched the finish from there, Matz picking the double-neck back up to riff at centerstage with Pike before swapping back to the bottom end. My goodness what a show. Like cruel kings reigning. Coady Willis gave someone in the front his crash cymbal when they were done. Wow.
Mother Vulture
You know, I’m not gonna lie and say that I saw the whole set or that I’m any kind of expert on what the UK’s Mother Vulture do, but I respect the shit out of the fact that after High on Fire handed the Bear Stone Festival crowd its collective ass, the brash Bristol heavy punk-metallers refused to be cowed. They would not be an epilogue, or an afterthought. They played their show and it was its own kind of intensity, with the band all over the stage — the bassist even leapt off from behind his cabinet at one point — the guitarist couldn’t seem to stop spinning in circles, and their vocalist was both ringmaster for the circus and in on it. I was surprised the drummer sat at all. But at the same time, what they played had so much more going on than a young band’s penchant for physicality. Some classic rock, loads of punk, some screams worthy of black metal, and a whole lot of “uncompromising.” They gave Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs a run for their money, while doing something different musically than any other band who’ve played thus far. Admirable and tight in kind.
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My ride was waiting for me to get Mother Vulture pictures — thank you Nelly and Elias from Threechords Records for the lift; it made finishing this in time possible — and as we rolled through the dark and twisty streets on the way back to Slunj, we listened to Queens of the Stone Age’s Rated R and I looked at the stars and it was a good way to end the day, being able to take people from ‘people I know’ to ‘friends’ in the span of a weekend. That’s how it happens at these things in the best of times, which seems to be what I’m having. How about that.
Day three tomorrow is another long one. Buckle up. Colour Haze, 1000mods, on and on. Gonna be fun. More pics after the jump in the meantime.
Oh, I slept. I slept and slept and slept. I don’t know that I’ve slept like that since before I had a kid. I. Slept.
The ride to Apartments Daniela — the room is a bed, small table, tv, rug, couple chairs, bathroom with shower, etc., AC which is always crucial, and a shared kitchen right outside the door; I’m in room 1, the couple in room 2 seemed to be having it out this morning — was plenty pleasant. I haven’t seen the town center of Slunj yet, but I already got a recommendation on a place to get good trout that I hope to take up at some point soon. Quiet though, which is good. Could use coffee, but that’s pretty much always the case. It’s a walk. I’ll walk it tomorrow, I hope.
The reason I didn’t today? Because I was sleeping. Hard. I showered as immediately as I could upon arrival yesterday evening, finished up a little other writing and email, blah blah, and thought I might play a little Zelda, but was unconscious before I even picked up the controller. I woke up at 11:30 in a panic thinking my alarm hadn’t gone off or I missed it or shut it off or whatever and brushed my teeth, got dressed for the pickup to go to the fest at 12:15PM and started packing my camera bag only to realize a few minutes later that it was still nighttime and 11:30PM and not 11:30AM, as I had apparently thought. Disoriented much? Coffee will help that too, I suspect.
I did play for a bit on the Switch, maybe an hour, just to calm down from that moment’s rush, then put on Star Trek: The Motion Picture — a download of the original director’s cut, as opposed to the 4K restoration — and was asleep again before the wildly indulgent circa-’79 sci-fi opening credits were done. I’d wake up a few more times, either to soon-reset alarms or not, and it was finally around 11:30AM that I convinced myself it was time to actually get up and get ready to go.
Being my first time at this fest, in this country and in the Balkans more broadly, I’m a little anxious for how it’s all going to go, but I’ve got a schedule document from the fest that I’m relying on. My 12:15 ride came a little after 1PM, so I spent some time writing/dicking around on my phone and watching a dude cut some stone tiles to put around concrete columns across the way — masonry — but it didn’t really matter as the day only has four bands, plus a big ol’ Sviraj!jam that I’m curious about, and seems to be easing the crowd into the weekend to come. Sunday is likewise mellow, while Friday and Saturday are more packed, with two stages (plus said jam) instead of one, more bands, headliners and all that. I look forward to seeing as much of it as I can.
“Bok” means “hi.” “Hvala vam” means “thank you.” “Voda” is “water.” “Molim” is “please.” “Kava” is “coffee.” If I can get these down by the end of the weekend, I’ll feel pretty good about it.
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A long, twisty road surrounded by green round-top hillsides and more distant, likewise eroded mountains, sporadic farms and residences and camps and such leads to the festival grounds on the bank of the Mrežnica, the river, which is clearly a draw for the area. It was about 20 minutes from my room to get there, driven by an apologetic Marco. No worries, dude. I slept.
The festival site is gorgeous, as anticipated. Since 2013, this place has hosted the psy-trance festival Mo:Dem, which takes place in August just up the hill with a likewise stunning in-the-round stage area — almost an amphitheater — with more of the incredible wood carvings that seem to be just part of the thing between the two events run by Marin Lalić, who was kind enough to show me around. There’s no wifi where Bear Stone happens — I’ll be writing without a net since I can’t save as I go; never without risk but a tradeoff I’m glad to make — but up by the management office, past Mo:Dem’s currently-closed experimentalist cinema/vegan bakery, there’s a connection. A bit of back and forth suits me fine. I get restless at these things anyway, if it wasn’t obvious.
This is the third edition of Bear Stone Festival proper, behind the last two years and a ‘Year Zero’ test run in 2021. It’s easy to see there’s room to build it bigger — 1,800 people are expected; about 50/50 Croatian and foreign contingents — should they want to, but the surrounding hillsides and the tiny fish in the river, which pours over rocks into a lake also fed by an underground spring, 18 meters deep and cold year round, the woodworking and so on all feels executed with naturalism in mind, and it lends the whole area an intimacy that has its own appeal. I opened the door of the van and stepped into the vibe. People were setting up tents to camp, and the buzz in the air as the production crew made final preparations, security all-in on first-day diligence, gave some underlying tension, but quiet corners and under-tree shade are everywhere even outside the press area, and there’s espresso to be had.
I’ve been attending concerts since I was about 10 years old. In the more than three decades since, I’ve never quite experienced anything like this. And it hasn’t started yet. Bear Stone Festival has the chance to make and become something really special, and I am humbled and honored to be here for it, whatever the next few days will bring. I’m on an adventure.
The first four bands on the Mill Stage — a purposefully small pavilion which can be seen/heard from the path and knoll by the river — are A Gram Trip, Jantar, Entropist and Slowtorch. I had some time to explore, which is how I happened on the cinema/bakery, and get more espresso before the start. No regrets, there or thereafter when the music started.
Here’s how that went:
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A Gram Trip
In what I suspect will be a theme of the fest as a whole, people crammed in tight to the Mill Stage to see Zagreb’s A Gram Trip open the weekend with duly sludged ceremony. Riffs and screams backed by shouts, a persistent nod with aggressive undertones that might’ve been too much volume for the couple dogs I saw hanging around, but was compressed nicely by the slanted roof of the pavilion-ish stage itself. Shades of Church of Misery, maybe earlier Electric Wizard; Dopethrone if you want a modern analog; stonesludge that knows from whence it comes. The band started jamming instrumentally and were joined by their vocalist soon after, and some of the mellower parts — a touch of earlier Clutch in “Cosmic Fortress,” with cleaner vocals to match, leaning more directly into Sabbathy build later on — echoed that side of their apparent persona, but they were all reverence and no pretense for the duration, bolstered by light reflecting and refracting through translucent flowers and panels to create color. As if on cue, the sun came out to aid that and bake the swimmers and denizens of the grassy area around. Don’t mind the bees — remember you’re a guest in this ecosystem — and try not to leave too many footprints on your way through. As much stomp as A Gram Trip put into “Quite Nice,” I suppose that was bound to happen one way or the other. They’d inject a faster stretch near the end — in “Speed Queen,” suitably enough — but the roll was primary, and rightly so.
Jantar
Sharper in tone and more progressive feeling in their still-jam-based compositions, Jantar brought a touch of doom-jazz with foot-pedal Moog and no shortage of twists and turns. I heard a Kyuss riff in there though, I swear it. It wouldn’t be the last of the day. A little spazzy around their root groove, the three-piece were instrumental for the duration despite A Gram Trip’s center-stage mic holding down that spot amid the rhythmic intricacies surrounding, which to their credit would’ve left little room for vocals anyhow and were about more than the technical showcase the band would probably have no trouble otherwise putting on. Songs, in other words. They played songs, rather than part-collections as is the sometimes-wont of the style, and while they felt very purposefully conscious in being unpredictable, the procession was such that folks were dancing as they looked on in the late-afternoon/earliest-evening air or under the roof itself, where vibe was all the more right on. Ultimately, they were weird for more than just the sake of it, dared a touch of funk in the bass, and presented complex sounds as a means to their own end. It was a shift from A Gram Trip, to be sure, but not so much as to throw anyone off as tension mounted and was released in succession. When they got to the last one, in “Disco King,” you knew it in the boogie. A couple of the dogs even got on board.
Entropist
I had stuck around in the stage area after Jantar, rather than adjourning to the picnic tables in front of where the jam stage will be later, and when Entropist went on, they just kind of started. First there wasn’t a set, then there was. I wasn’t sure if it was a line check or what, but nope, they were playing. I dig that. Also instrumental, they were a bit spacier and they let their songs breathe in a way that was post-metal-aware, if not necessarily actual post-metal, moving with a fluidity that wasn’t by any means lazy, but cast a gradual impression just the same. With some Pelican/Russian Circles chug and tempos malleable but mostly in a middle range, they were kind of thing you could really get lost in, and I did that for a while before I ran out of water and decided to rectify that and move to the patch of grass by the water for what ended up being most of the latter half of the set. There’s a kind of secondary gathering here, people sitting facing the direction the sound of Entropist is coming from, but not really able to see it all as such, both because of distance and a tree in the line of sight. I guess I just didn’t want to fall too much into the routine of taking pictures then moving back to the bakery/cinema stairs to sit and write. I’m doing something I’ve never done before, maybe I can change up how I do it as well. Entropist — a moniker I interpret as being one who plays the universal drift toward chaos as one might the tiny violin mocking that very same decay — would soon loose their slowest plod (before a faster finish) and even from where I sat, the sense of their basking in it was palpable. I’ve also seen a lot of press passes, so I guess the word’s out about Bear Stone. Fair enough. I’m always late to the party.
Slowtorch
The jam stage actually started warming up before Slowtorch went on, but one the Italian outfit got the ‘go’ sign, there was nothing else to be heard at the Mill Stage. The night’s headliners tore with vigor into classic riff rock, a little burl here, some blues there for sure, but fun more than anything else, with their singer poking out from the side of the pavilion to say hi to the folks watching from below and making his way mid-verse through the crowd, perhaps appreciating the forward shove of the band behind him. Slowtorch made a highlight of the title-track to their latest LP, The Machine Has Failed, which was of a kind in catchiness and punch with the rest of the set, and I found a perch a little higher up the stairs where I could see — there were more people on the steps as well — and appreciate the pull of more and more people to the vicinity. I guess you’d call Slowtorch the most straightforward of the four bands who played today, at least in a rock and roll sense of that, structures and whatnot, but in stage presence and performance, they put everything they had into that set. “Never too old to rock!” before requesting and chugging a “tasty Bear Stone beer” from the crowd. It was that kind of party, and it wasn’t over. There would end up being enough beer for everyone in the band and more besides, enjoyed communally as their time wound down and the set itself wound correspondingly up. They rocked until the lights came on — because it was getting dark, not because they were being told to stop — and it started and stayed a good time. Front to back. Fucking a. They rocked the sun down.
Sviraj!Jam
I wasn’t sure how the jam stage was going to work, but the answer to that seemed to be “it works like a fucking jam, you dope.” There were three synths going as I made my way over from the Mill Stage, dazed but not entirely done, which is fortunate since there are three more days. Live drums and vocals joined in soon enough — no idea what those echoes were saying, but it seemed like the kind of thing that if you had a guitar and wanted to hop up there and be part of it for a while, no one would yell at you. Someone did that, and I wasn’t sure if it had been preplanned or not, but probably. A band gradually took shape. I sat at one of the tables, drank my water, happy to roll with it and to be here generally, happy to have slept before the day started, to have reset my alarm the two or three times, whatever it was. The band that wasn’t until they were built up a decent head of steam, and it was easy to dig in a spacey, obviously meandering sort of way. Just a jam, maybe, but also both epilogue for today and preface of more to come, something to dig into before you go back to your tent or room, but emblematic of the professionalism that’s rampant beneath the surface at Bear Stone. I’m not sure any of this would work without it, and so far, it all very much works.
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Thank you for reading. I recognize that the only reason I’m here — certainly not my charming personality or social grace — is because you do, so know that it’s appreciated. My ride back to Rooms Daniela was at 10PM, which would give me enough time to shower and start in on the day’s photos before conking out. I failed at eating today. Old habits. A pack of almonds during Slowtorch and some last bites of the nut butter I brought from home were it. Tomorrow at some point I will need to search out a meal, however that ultimately happens. Until then, you’ll find more pics after the jump. Thanks again. Good night.
