Posted in Whathaveyou on March 6th, 2026 by JJ Koczan
This second lineup announcement for Planet Desert Rock Weekend VII, which is set to take place January in Las Vegas, is emblematic of what I appreciate so much about the four-day festival to start with. To wit, it’s five bands and each of them counts double for what they bring to the lineup. Child, from Australia, offer some of the most dug-in heavy blues in the world, while Carson and Black Rainbows and the returning Droids Attack are each heavy rock bands taking that designation on from their own angle, and Steak are sometime this year (I’m pretty sure) set to release their follow-up to 2022’s Acute Mania (review here), which I’m very curous to hear.
But look at it. Carson or Black Rainbows might also have a record coming, but they might not, and Droids Attack are amazing, but likely not them either. It hasn’t even been that long since Child‘s 2023 LP, Soul Murder (review here), but they’re here too, which brings me to the point that it’s not about who’s coming through on tour, but about hand-selecting bands from the worldwide heavy underground and bringing them over for a gig.
Some will make tours out of it, which I’d expect Steak, Carson, Child and Black Rainbows to do, and maybe Droids Attack as well — I only didn’t list them because they haven’t been super-active, but of course it’s possible they’ll do other shows; their last record was 2016’s brilliant Sci-Fi or Die (review here) — but Planet Desert Rock Weekend becomes an epicenter for seeing things you’ve never seen before, offering something distinct from other festivals and showcases while telling the story of itself as each band moves into the next. I’ve been lucky enough to go twice now, and barring disaster, I wouldn’t want to miss it in 2027 either.
From the PR wire:
Planet Desert Rock Weekend VII – Second Lineup Announcement
Vegas Rock Revolution is excited to present the next batch of bands for Planet Desert Rock Weekend VII 2027 with five unique groups for five countries. We are happy to bring back 2 PDRW alumni and 2 bands that have not played in the USA yet. This collection ranges from stoner rock to bluesy rock to stoner thrash to heavy rock and more. Our goal Is to always deliver music from bands to highlight our great heavy underground scene to our fans who love to discover and support. It means a ton to us that your feedback has been amazing when talking about our curation and vibe of our weekender. Is it too early to get excited about next January? LOL!
We have nearly sold out of presale tickets so …. go for it and save a few bucks. Artist extraordinaire Joey Rudell is back to provide us with cool art for PDRW!
Black Rainbows / Italy
Longtime stoner rock stalwarts Black Rainbows have been steadily popping out fuzzy new tunes since early 2010s. This power trio will be returning for the 1st time to the USA since 2017 when they played Desert Generator at Pappy & Harriet’s! Frontman Gabriele Fiori is a massive figure in the scene as he is the head honcho of Heavy Psych Sounds Records. He has built an amazing label and is involved with not only tour support but festivals all around the world. Their is no doubt their set will be high octane fueled and get people moving! Honored to have this killer band come out for PDRW!
Steak / London
You can never go wrong with British rockers Steak! Steak played Planet Desert Rock Weekend v3 at Count’s Vamp’d as direct support for desert legend John Garcia who did a rare unplugged set. This Ripple Music band is set to have a new release in 2026 and we can’t wait to hear what they have in store for us. Their creativity keeps us on our toes as their last release “Acute Mania” saw them creating some more depth to their songs and the addition of a 2nd guitarist who also helped with vocals some. 5 albums deep and driven by strong vocals and the guitar prowess of Reece Tee who is the man behind Desertfest which has been a massive part of the heavy underground with their always choice lineups and spread out all across Europe giving fans a chance to see so many cool bands in one place! Steak was just announced to be tourmates with All Them Witches and Slift for a European run. What a lineup!
Droids Attack / Wisconsin
It was just a matter of time that we would bring Droids Attack back to Planet Desert Rock Weekend. This “stoner thrash” power trio lit up the stage at PDRW v2 back in 2019 at the old Bunkhouse (R.I.P.). Frontman Brad Van and gang haven’t put out new material since their amazing “Sci-Fi Or Die” release. Yes PDRW loves to mix in the heavy in the weekend and who better than this riff and groove band that rarely plays nowadays. If you aren’t moving when you listen to “Brahma Astra” then you might be dead. Brad’s guitar tone paired with syncopated drums is unique. We are excited to have our friends back to Sin City!
Child / Australia
We have made no secret that blues rock is an important part to Planet Desert Rock Weekend. We never imagined that one of the most killer bluesy rock bands around from Australia would join the party. This Melbourne based band has 4 releases and all of them provide sultry psychedelic tinged goodness that promises to translate to a live set that will leave people saying “well damn that was good” . This will be their 1st time to the USA for this Heavy Psych Sounds band who in recently years has made the trek to Europe to do runs of shows. Frontman Mathias Northway’s vocals and songwriting really elevates this band to upper tier in the scene.
Carson / Switzerland
Planet Desert Rock Weekend loves to hand pick very good European bands that deserve far more ears than they currently get. Carson is a band with some momentum as they have knocked out two stellar heavy rock albums in a 3 year span that has grabbed some attention for sure. Truth be told we have been watching them since hearing the song “Drown the Witness” back in 2017. The band’s sound is a mesh of stoner, grunge and some psych as well and features male/female vocal blend on many of their tracks. Carson landed on The Doom Charts in 2022 in April at #4 and in September 2025 at #7 as well as ended on the End of Year list as well. Also to note that landed very high on Vegas Rock Revolution’s End of Year lists as well. Want good catchy hard rocking songs? Dig in.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 7th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Am I crazy (granted) or are we a little early arriving at the place where Desertfest throws down 20-someodd bands — in this case 28 — added all at once to the lineup? I mean, 28 bands, even for a four-day festival, would be a festival lineup. So Desertfest London 2026 is basically showcasing an entire fest’s worth of fest as just part of its broader lineup, the first announcement for which came out just a little over a month ago. I’m not worried about the promo plan or anything, you understand. They know what they’re doing. But I usually think of this kind of thing coming in winter as a hopeful portent of spring. Here in the backwater US, we haven’t even changed the clocks yet.
But can you blame them for being excited? If I had Hermano, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Solace, Causa Sui, High Desert Queen, Steak, Abrams, Alunah, Moundrag, Bismut and the rest of this cohort — Dandy Brown pulling double-duty between Hermano and Lorquin’s Admiral; nice — locked in, I might splurge too. And hopefully I’ll have more to say on this subject, but Solace‘s booked return to the UK has me convinced their new album will be out by the time they go. Do me a favor and don’t prove me wrong.
There’s a lot to like here, and also just a lot for what’s a relatively straightforward list of names. Read ’em and weep:
OUR SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT IS HERE! We’ve got 28 juicy additions to our 2026 edition and this announcement one is truly one for the DF OGs right here: desert legends HERMANO will headline the Electric Ballroom at Desertfest 2026.
Back to show us all how it’s done, John Garcia and the California cult icons will be playing their first UK show in almost two decades and we know that they’ll receive the homecoming they deserve at Desertfest London.
↠ Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – returning to Desertfest stage for the first time in 8 years.
↠ Danish heavy psych heroes turned instrumental wizards Causa Sui make their Desertfest London debut!
↠ New Jersey stoner-doom veterans Solace playing their first UK show in over a decade.
And that’s not all, folks! We’ve still to announce our final headliner for our second stint at the Roundhouse, but in the meantime we’ve prepared a mighty offering that we know you’ll love in our latest round of artists set for 2026:
HERMANO Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Causa Sui Zig Zags Steak Band Solace Deaf Club Witchsorrow High Desert Queen MOUNDRAG KOMODOR Alunah CULT OF OCCULT Forlorn LORQUIN’S ADMIRAL OMO ALPHAWHORES Abrams Bismut Okay You Win UK Ironrat Kannabinõid MOLTEN SLAG HASHTRONAUT ISAK SUPERNAUGHTT Teiger Nomadic Reign
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 23rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
The sun hadn’t even set on this year’s Ripplefest Texas this past weekend and the Austin-based festival announced its dates for 2025. No headliners have been revealed yet — and fair enough; it’s a year away — but Unida return to top the thus-far bill, and along with Mos Generator, Left Lane Cruiser and Kind, the first of no-doubt-several international acts has been announced, with London’s Steak making the trip over.
You may recall Steak recorded in the California desert in the past, and they may have done a couple gigs around that, but I’m assuming there will be a more substantial stint of touring around their slot at Ripplefest. I haven’t seen dates for Desertfest NYC 2025 yet, but the two fests were closely interlinked in terms of lineup this year, somewhat akin to the on-the-same-page togetherness Europe will see between various events on successive weekends next month, and given Steak‘s connection to Desertscene London, the team from which is also behind Desertfest New York, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see that relationship continue to develop as Ripplefest Texas 2025 adds more bands building on the initial names here.
And if you saw the lineup for 2024 or — congratulations on your weekend if this is the case — you were there to actually see the show, you know Ripplefest Texas packs its four-day expanse front to back at a scale that few outside of Maryland Doom Fest could hope to, and with an increasing reach to boot. If you’re not yet looking forward to the next Ripplefest Texas, here’s a cue to do so:
RippleFest Texas 2025 dates are officially announced! We are selling 100 4 Day Passes only at a ridiculous price of $100! That is worth seeing these bands announced so far and we haven’t even announced our headliners yet! Get them while you can!!!
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 17th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Granted, Truckfighters are pretty fresh in the ol’ brain after seeing them this past weekend, but while ‘always deliver live’ is an essential part of their ethic as a band, the Swedish troupe behind this fifth edition of the aptly-named Truckfighters Fuzz Festival are hardly the only appeal here. 1000mods will have just released their new album a couple weeks before Fuzz Festival #5 gets underway, and Slomosa and Bottenhavet, Daevar, High Desert Queen and 10,000 Years have or will have 2024 releases under their belt as well. Not to harp on it, but I also saw Domkraft this past weekend, and they don’t have a 2024 record but would nonetheless be a significant draw in this two-nighter’s favor if I happened to live in Stockholm.
Grand Atomic, Steak, Witchrider, Goddess (who I don’t know at all, but am inclined to check out based solely on their inclusion here), Siena Root, Håndgemeng and the ever-fluid Besvärjelsen complete a strong bill for the Debaser and adjacent Bar Brooklyn, and you’ll find the full lineup and ticket link, courtesy of the band’s socials and website:
The Truckfighters Fuzz Festival is back! For the 5th time, there will be riffing in the name of fuzz at Debaser Strand and Bar Brooklyn, this year on the weekend of November 22-23! One could say that the festival has become Sweden’s answer to a company party but here it’s all about fuzz, swing, and a damn good mood. All spread across 2 stages as we combine Debaser and Bar Brooklyn into a single festival frenzy over 2 days. You will be treated to great music from 6:15 pm to midnight on 2 stages, and the evening is not over there as DJs extend the nights with cool music and we hope for a great hangout.
The Venue is located on the island of Södermalm, in Stockholm. This is a very nice area in the central parts of town. Get there with subway or bus to “Hornstull” station.
The bands on the bill are hand picked by us to ensure a great evening! All bands are good! All bands play some kind of heavy groovy rock music with a fuzzy sound! We hope to see you. Keep the fuzz burning! / Truckfighters
Stockholm! Debases & Bar Brooklyn = Fuzz Festival #5 November 22nd & 23rd! 🔥🔥🔥
The lineup is nailed, one day tickets are released now so now we go!
Lineup: Truckfighters 1000mods Siena Root Slomosa Domkraft Witchrider Steak 10,000 Years Besvärjelsen Håndgemeng High Desert Queen Grand Atomic Bottenhavet Daevar Goddess
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 6th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Over the last several weeks, the inaugural Desertfest Oslo has piece-by-piece announced the remainder of the lineup for May 10 and 11, and the list is substantial. Wolves in the Throne Room, Weedpecker, Kadabra, Steak, Crippled Black Phoenix, Earth Tongue, Apostle of Solitude, Orsak:Oslo, Margarita Witch Cult, REZN, Bongzilla and Slomosa joined the bill one at a time, broadening the scope exponentially in terms of style from searing black metal thrust to sad post-goth to stoner rock of progressive and willfully unprogressive strains and outright ambience, older and newer bands, and geographical range. It’s kind of stunning how commonplace this standard has become for the Desertfest brand over the last decade-plus.
Tickets for each day are also on sale now — in case, what you want to see Acid King and not REZN? it’s okay, I’m not judging; I know people have lives and things to do — but it’s pretty clear looking at the full roster of who’ll play that Desertfest Oslo 2024 is all-in on the thing. And with Kadavar, Monolord, Crippled Black Phoenix and Eyehategod headlining, they’ll rely on a multifaceted draw from the top down through the entire lineup. This feels both like a festival brand reaching into new territory and new collaborations — which it is, absolutely — and a righteous start to what could become a staple of the Spring touring circuit. Do I really need to go on about Norway’s underground boom? Probably not when a hand-picked selection of those responsible are present below to remind you.
Bottom line here is I look forward to seeing how this unfolds even from a distance, but whatever Desertfest Oslo does in the longer term, this is a monster. Behold:
Finally the day splits are here!
As well as day splits we’ve also made single day tickets available from february 29th.
Friday: KADAVAR Monolord Wolves In The Throne Room Acid King Slomosa Weedpecker Håndgemeng Orsak:Oslo Kadabra Earth Tongue Bismarck Karavan Superlynx
Saturday: CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Brant Bjork EYEHATEGOD REZN The Devil And The Almighty Blues Bongzilla Full Earth Margarita Witch Cult Steak Agabas Saint Karloff Apostle of Solitude Suncraft
Got back to the hotel in Siegen last night around two, I think. The question was whether to shower before collapsing into bed. I did, and it was the right call. The smell of cigarette smoke, sweat, and humanity was powerful motivation. And when I did conk out, I slept harder than I have in some time. Maybe about a year?
It’s hot today and soon to start. Bit of breeze in the shade is a big yes. In the interest of honesty I tell you I’m beat and a little nervous for what the day might bring, but ready for it. Took all the allergy medicine, have sunglasses, my silly hat, earplugs. Water. So much water. Gonna go grab some more now, in fact. All the water.
Sorry for the typos today as well, but thanks for reading if you are/do. Here’s the day:
Orsak:Oslo
The Norwegian/Swedish instrumental four-piece remind me of last year’s fest, which had a whole bunch of meditative psych/post-heavy with which they would fit well. Their new album, In Irons (discussed here), came out in April on Vinter Records, and they harnessed that fluidity live, or maybe that’s the other way around, I’d have to see them a few more times to properly judge. But the bit of krautrock they worked in was met with some dancing from the crowd, and while I think many of those in the audience today are definitely feeling the edge of the late finish last night — I know I am — Orsak:Oslo were a way of easing into a day that’s even longer and has more to see. For sure a different vibe than Tuskar, who were first yesterday, but their flow and comparatively mellow but still lucid psych seemed to hypnotize just right. I was glad to see them again after seeing them briefly in Norway in 2019 (review here), and their set was a stirring reminder to get my ass in gear on reviewing that record. Message received. Obviously they didn’t have the biggest crowd of the day, playing at 1:30 some 10 hours before the headliner, but there were people out front, more by the end, and they were dancing.
—
Earth Ship
I was very curious to see Earth Ship, because as regards projects from the Berlin-based Jan Oberg and Sabine Oberg — the others are Grin and the pandemic-born Slowshine — Earth Ship are kind of the middle ground. They rock more than Grin, whose sludge is pointedly aggro, and they’re more grounded than the psych-tinged Slowshine, and not only do I appreciate how their bands are organized — I like a bit of this goes here, this goes here, this goes here — but Earth Ship’s riffs are a hook of their own. And they’re more even more rock live than on record, though Jan’s vocals are still largely barks, but watching them for the first time, it’s easy to see they’re having fun and love what they do. They weren’t thrashing around or anything, but there was passion behind their delivery and stage energy, and it was infectious. Inviting, in a way. “You dig this. We do too. Let’s get loud.” Unfortunately this utopian vision doesn’t apply to everyone everywhere all the time, because it’s a big planet, but I’m glad to have had a sampling of what they do and hope it’s not the last time our paths cross, in whatever incarnation.
—
Kamchatka
Heavy blues promised, heavy blues delivered. Nothing there to argue with even if you wanted to. In the heat of the afternoon, Sweden’s Kamchatka brought a little bit of a breeze that, in combination with the sprinklers strewn about the festival grounds being frequented by adults and children alike, was some measure of relief. No doubt the wind was conjured by the air being pushed through the amps and the swing of drummer Tobias Strandvik, who was comfortable in the pocket as the trio — completed by guitarist Thomas “Juneor” Andersson and bassist Per Wiberg (yes, the same one who’s played with Opeth, Candlemass, Spiritual Beggars, on and on, mostly on keys; he’s also got a few solo releases; must like music or something) were classically dynamic, varied of tempo and mood, and they had a couple sleek jams worked in with the bouts of uptempo shove, mellow groove, all that stuff, definitely heavy ’70s informed but modern in their presentation. I wandered a bit, trying not to be just in one place all day — the quest for shade is part of that, to be sure — but my own restlessness was duly counteracted by the solid, unpretentious grooves coming from the stage, and as one will on such an occasion, I found myself feeling like I need to listen to this band more. A lesson learned, maybe.
—
Steak
So somewhere in the long-long ago, I saw a band in London called Crystal Head who blew me away and left me wondering what the hell the deal was that they weren’t huge. Seeing that band’s former guitarist/vocalist, Tom Cameron, joining his ex-and-again bandmate Dean Deal (drums), as part of an upgraded five-piece Steak lineup, again on guitar and adding his vocals to those of frontman Chris “Kippa” Haley — they even covered that band’s likewise memorable “Perfect Weirdo” before playing a new song called “2×2” — was a thrill. Haley sharing vocal duties is a shift in the dynamic, but in line with 2022’s righteous Acute Mania (review here) — if you heard the record you might say their realizing their potential to such a degree was “a long time coming” — they’re a deeper band for being able to bring their arrangements to life with another player on board. I haven’t been to a show in London in half a decade, but I hope Steak are playing the next one I hit. I was prepared for a more mature act by seeing them in 2019 at Desertfest New York (review here), but between the lineup, the record and the performance, they’ve truly put it all together. Change is the nature of the universe. Sometimes it even works out.
—
Pontiak
Well, that’s my new working definition of underrated. Based in Virginia, the brotherly trio Pontiak were the perfect blend for the moment. They were heavy enough to follow Steak so that there wasn’t a loss of aural push on the day, but with each of member of the Carney family with a mic, yeah. Just, yeah. I’ve written about them intermittently over the years, never really with any depth, and I’m sorry that it’s only now I understand the error in that neglect. The noisier, punkier, more aggro impulse is still there in the guitar, but the atmosphere is so reconciled to it, so right in being what it is, that the melodies seemed that much richer for the underlying tension. Sitting at stage right, I turned my head and saw a small pocket of maybe four dudes being led in a yoga class and hell fucking yes I joined (asked first). Happy to report that yoga and Pontiak went together extremely well, and the stretch and the focus on calm movement, purposeful movement, that slowdown was incredible. Doing cat-cows while the band locked in a half-time nod that reminded me of the time they toured with Sleep. Planks and down-dogs and pigeon and all that. I said yesterday that I could feel myself being too tight. I’m not sure my back will thank me this evening for the cobras, but screw it, sometimes the riffs are right and the thing is happening and you need to go with it. I have absolutely no regrets. I hope it happens again tomorrow. And if Pontiak wanted to do a hang out and do a second show, that’d be rad too.
—
Seedy Jeezus
Would be an odd way to start a conversation, but if you asked me how many times in my life I was going to see Melbourne, Australia’s Seedy Jeezus, my honest answer would’ve been zero to one. Thus I consider watching them play a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and with their The Hollow Earth live 2LP (discussed here) fresh in mind — they played the title-track, and no, that wasn’t all — I tried my best to soak in every minute of their heavy psych-blues jams and the scorching guitar work of Lex Waterreus, who put his soul into every note in a way that was palpable, but that didn’t lose the audience along the way. I’d say he was all heart if he wasn’t also so clearly technique. They were Hendrixian even before they threw in the cover of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” that also appears on that live record, but certainly that would seal the deal in that regard. The last time they were here, in 2015, they put out a live album after. If they did ‘Live at Freak Valley Again’ they’d be well within their rights. Actually, maybe they should just record all their shows. Worked for the Dead. Easy, organic flow, jammy but headed somewhere, joy to follow. They’re not a band I ever thought I would experience live. And I met Lex and drummer Mark Sibson — the band is very much completed by Paul Crick on bass — and they seem like nice sorts. Lex teared up thanking the crowd — he also shouted out the much-missed Stoned Jesus, who would be here but for war — and then the whole band proceeded to tear into another ace jam of the kind you get to witness, well, let’s just say not very often. Having now done so once, that’s a record I’d be happy to break.
—
King Buffalo
What a charmed fucking existence I lead. King Buffalo are the first band this weekend whose set I was so wrapped up in that I forgot to write. Sometimes you just leave time. It hasn’t been that long since I last encountered the Rochester, New York, three-piece, less than a year — though as history has shown, that’s long enough for one or two landmark LPs from them — but they were a pleasure as always. Dan Reynolds, man. Taking that bassline in “Silverfish” for walks both literal and figurative. They’ve been on tour for somewhere around three weeks now, have somewhere around a week to go, and are duly sharp onstage. I could go on and on about their pandemic trilogy of LPs, regale you with hyperbole and superlatives about the depth of their sound, the emotional undercurrent to their melodies, the sheer growth they’ve undergone in the last nine years, but I’ve said it all before. And being me, I’ll probably say it all again. I could have put in the review links, but fuck it. Watching them, it wasn’t time for that. It was time to be in that moment. That particular almost gone right very now. Dudes in the crowd throwing love hearts at each other. It was a beautiful moment to be alive. I can take out my phone and finish the god damned sentence later. I don’t know about you, but I would have had a much harder time the last three years of my life without this band. And I don’t think they’ve yet done their best work. I hope they never do. Would be a shame to think of them not chasing that thing. Not gonna take away from anyone else on this bill or the decades of work Earthless and the Melvins have put in, but this was my headliner set for the night. And it wasn’t even dark.
—
Earthless
I was in front of the stage at the time, but I have to think that wherever you were on the festival grounds, you knew Earthless as about to go on when Isaiah Mitchell started warming up on guitar. Little shred here, little shred there. Mario Rubalcaba back there thump thump, Mike Eginton rumble rumble. And that’s Earthless. You take shred shred, thump thump, rumble rumble, make sure everyone is unrealistically talented, and you let it become epic as it inevitably will. Serve hot, like scorching. The most-of-the-time instrumental trio came to Freak Valley to play their latest album, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (review here), in its entirety. That album came out in January and in following 2018’s Black Heaven (review here), found the band reclaiming their longform sans-vocal approach after the last record’s partial foray into more traditional rock songwriting. Of course they ripped it up, they’re frickin’ Earthless. Gradual start, bit of a raga wakeup at the beginning of the record, then all of a sudden except not really sudden it’s been happening the whole time you just didn’t realize it because see “unrealistically talented” above, and they were fully immersed. And so was the crowd. It was after 10PM but still just barely nighttime — Earthless at sundown; I dare you to ask for more — and I guess I didn’t realize it at the time, but it turns out that whole record was meant to be played live. And that’s something they can actually do because the parts are plotted. They’re songwriting, just on their own level, which incidentally is how they do everything. The world is in no small part because of Earthless not at all short on instrumental heavy psych rock — more bands seem to form every time they play, and they play a fair amount; someone tell Bandcamp they’re gonna need more servers — but still, one Earthless. They were entrancing.
—
Melvins
I would never dare call myself a Melvins fan, especially in the presence of so many who obviously are, but it’s common knowledge they destroy live and their current incarnation absolutely slayed. I don’t know if I’m going to go dig into the probably 15 or so records they’ve done in the last decade-plus to catch up, but I definitely don’t regret watching them cover “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and they played a tune or two I recognized from the days when they and Big Business were a thing — fortunately Dale Crover didn’t seem to have much trouble doing the work of two drummers — and that song from Stoner Witch or whichever of those Atlantic-era records it was. Imagine a major label signing a band like this now. Ha. But these Melvins have been at it — hard — for the last 40 years and they’re still punk rock no matter how thick their riffs are. Goes without saying this was my first time seeing them with Steven Shane McDonald and he was a perfect fit. That’s the guy to keep up with Crover and King Buzzo, as much as anyone could hope to do so. He was a blast, they were a blast, and they came out to “Take on Me” by A-ha, which in the world of weird coincidences, I’ve run into three times in the last month. Great song, doesn’t matter. The important thing is the Melvins let Freak Valley know why they are who they are and sat on top of this bill because it would’ve been silly for another band to try to follow them. King Buzzo echoing into the finally-night sky. Total blowout.
—
Okay that’s enough. Day three tomorrow. Thanks for reading. More pics after the jump. Good night.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 15th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Not much you can really debate about Freak Valley Festival 2023 in either concept or execution. The headliners — Clutch, the Melvins and Orange Goblin playing Time Travelling Blues in its entirety — are long-established bill-toppers, and backed by the likes of Earthless, King Buffalo and Stoned Jesus even before you get to Slift and The Obsessed and Astroqueen and Hypnos69 and Gaupa and on and on and on and fucking Seedy Jeezus is gonna be there — you’ve got Seedy Jeezus and Stoned Jesus in the same place on the same weekend! — it’s all the more apparent just how called-for making this trip actually is. So I’m going.
As with last year, I’ll be doing my best to cover as much of Freak Valley 2023 as possible with photos and writeups, and whether it’s bands I’ve seen or bands I’ve never seen, I know enough now to know that it’s not just about watching bands, but about watching them there, in that place between those hills, the joy that radiates through the hopefully cooperative weather and everybody in attendance. It’s gonna be a blast, and I’ll at last get to see Slift in a setting that I feel like is worthy of the occasion. Mark it a win even before I get on the plane. Speaking of, better book that flight.
Here’s the final lineup, newly announced:
Hails Freaks!
Time for the final lineup announcement. We hope your 2023 is off to a great start. Either way, it’s about to get better.
Please welcome:
EARTHLESS – SLIFT – HÄLLAS – ALEX HENRY FOSTER – STONED JESUS – TABERNACLE – EL PERRO – STEAK – GAUPA – REVEREND BEAT-MAN – THE MAD HATTER
Full Line-up:
CLUTCH MELVINS ORANGE GOBLIN “Time Travelling Freak Valley Blues Show” EARTHLESS “Night Parade of 1000 Demons” in full! KING BUFFALO STONED JESUS SLIFT HÄLLAS THE OBSESSED PONTIAK ALEX HENRY FOSTER SEEDY JEEZUS HYPNOS69 EL PERRO STEAK KAMCHATKA EARTH SHIP ASTROQUEEN TUSKAR TABERNACLE KOMODOR BESVÄRJELSEN GAUPA RITUAL KING PSYENCE REVEREND BEAT-MAN THE MAD HATTER
We’re done – hope you love the lineup as much as we do!
FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2023 IS SOLD OUT.
Thank all of you so much for your support, this year and every year.
Freak Valley Festival // No Fillers – Just Killers June 8-10, 2023
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 17th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
With the caveat that promoter John Gist of Vegas Rock Revolution says there might be a second show added for those looking to make a weekend of it, John Garcia, Steak and Formula 400 are playing together in Las Vegas on Jan. 20. Aside from being notable like pretty much every time John Garcia and his band (Of Gold) do a thing, this one gets the eyebrows up because Steak will be making the trip from London to play.
That’s not insignificant. I don’t know what their plans are, if they’ll be doing a full West Coast run or if they’re just coming across on the QT for a single date, but it feels worth noting that Steak have prior experience in the desert portion of the US, having recorded there before, so it’s certainly possible they’ve got as-yet-secret doings in the works in that regard. Seems entirely likely we’ll find out — nobody really records in secret these days; too much opportunity for social media engagement to squander, and Steak are rebuilding after a hack, so it seems even less likely they’d disengage, even if Facebook is only a dumping ground for Instagram posts — before January, but it’s fun to speculate anyhow. Steak‘s 2022 album, Acute Mania (review here), is the best work they’ve ever done.
Formula 400 are the crucial third rounding out at least one rocking evening — I hear at least one more band might be added if not another day — and you’ll find comment from all involved parties as well as the event page for the gig below, courtesy of VRR.
Dig:
Vegas Rock Revolution Presents: John Garcia, Steak & Formula 400
Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, Count’s Vamp’d in Las Vegas
“I am always honored to have John Garcia as part of a Vegas Rock Revolution Show,” says John Gist of VRR. “We aim to make this super cool night with hand picked unique bands to play with John on this bill. To have Steak coming from London to play is just amazing. Danny + Korie Koker’s Count’s Vamp’d has been such an amazing venue to work with to host such kickass event is humbling. And hey if things make sense we just might add a Saturday of shows in Vegas so people coming into town have a cool 2nd show to hit!”
“We are extremely stoked to be doing this show at Count’s Vamp’d, especially with Steak. This show is going to be something special and I would like to thank Vegas Rock Revolution for making this happen. If you’re looking for a reason to come to Vegas, here it is.” – John Garcia
Says Steak: We are so excited to be supporting the legend John Garcia in Las Vegas. We last toured with him in Europe in 2014 and are honoured to be playing with him in his own back yard. Supporting John Garcia in Vegas? Fuck yeah, Steak are coming for Sin City and I’m not sure we will get out alive!”
“Formula 400 is always pumped to play a Vegas Rock Revolution Presents show at Count’s Vamp’d and to have the honor to share the stage with the legend John Garcia from Kyuss really gets our engines revving! Plus with Steak coming from London this is going to be cool night!” – Formula 400
