There are two parts to the news here. The first is most of the lineup for Rocky Mountain Riff Fest 2026 proper. With one headliner still to be announced, this year’s edition of the all-dayer festival is set for April 18 in Kalispell, Montana, and features Lung, Ealdor Bealu (new LP this summer), Pegzilla (new LP sooner than that), Merlock and more, and a pre-show the night before. Of those announced, Free Drugs, Surfbat, Mother Root, Superplex and Swamp Ritual (the latter three of whom comprise the pre-show) featured in 2025, while Schticky were there in 2022 and Merlock in 2023 and 2024.

What does this tell you? That a community has developed around the festival with these bands (and others: thinking Wizzerd and The Gray Goo specifically), and that leads to the second part of the news. Beginning April 15, Rocky Mountain Riff Fest will be hosting Road to Riff Fest showcases in five cities — Portland, OR; Shoreline, WA; Boise, ID; Moscow, ID; Bozeman, MT — put together in collaboration with bands and artists from the towns in question, highlighting a deeper look into the regional underground and its denizens and leading up to the festival itself.

As ideas go, it’s a rad one. More info is below, as per the PR wire:

Rocky Mountain Riff Fest 2026

We are beyond stoked to share this year’s lineup! Ten bands from the PNW and beyond, and from right here at home, gathered in the Flathead Valley in the great name of Riff. Praise Iommi.

Presale tickets will be available at Wheaton’s and Photo Video Plus in Kalispell, and entry available at the door as per usual – be sure not to miss out on the year’s most epic party of riffs hosted at the Eagles in downtown Kalispell.

Artwork by the phenomenal @impillustration

Lineup:

Lung
Ealdor Bealu
Pegzilla
Merlock
LáGoon
Continuum
Surfbat
Schticky
Free Drugs
Onion Milk

Pre-Party April 17:
Mother Root
Swamp Ritual
Superplex

SEE YOU IN APRIL

Road to Riff Fest PNW Showcases

Road to Riff Fest: Portland, hosted by Anthony Gaglia of LáGoon. Featuring Lung, LáGoon, Sorcia, and Lesser Demons at High Water Mark.

Road to Riff Fest: Boise, hosted by Carson Russell of Ealdor Bealu. Featuring Pegzilla, Ealdor Bealu, and Dirt Russell at Neurolux.

Road to Riff Fest: Shoreline, hosted by Jessica Brasch of Sorcia. Featuring Lung, Sorcia, Merlock, and Mother Root at Darrell’s Tavern.

Road to Riff Fest: Bozeman, hosted by Tim Bowers of Scavenger. Featuring Pegzilla, Ealdor Bealu, Continuum, and Scavenger at the Labor Temple.

Road to Riff Fest: Moscow, hosted by Taylor D Waring of Merlock. Featuring Lung, LáGoon, Sorcia, and Merlock at the Moose Lodge.

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LáGoon, “You Tried (You Failed)”

Here comes the full lineup for Rocky Mountain Riff Fest 2025, fresh off the social media hellscape and set to take place April 19 in Kalispell, Montana, as per tradition. This is the sixth edition of the all-dayer fest (plus a pre-party the night before), which brings Kadabra and Sorcia to town as headliners with support from local spearheads Wizzerd, as well as Mother Root, Doomboyz, Cruel Velvet, Scavenger, Swamp Ritual, Surfbat, Loin Hammer and Superplex. No word on if Superplex sound anything like Suplecs, only, you know, more. I’ll keep you posted on that.

Of the confirmations, at least Sorcia, Loin Hammer, Swamp Ritual, Wizzerd and Surfbat have featured on past Rocky Mountain Riff Fest editions, which tells you there’s a family developing. The only band on this bill I’ve ever seen is Kadabra, and I’ll gladly confirm that they’re something you want to check out when the opportunity presents itself, and certainly other names ring familiar, whether it’s Mother Root or Wizzerd (who had two records out last year) or Sorcia, who also have their own affiliated festival in Washington. Must be nice.

I don’t for one second imagine I’ll be there to see it, but Rocky Mountain Riff Fest has grown over the last few years into its own thing. It’s never struck me as wanting to be huge or some mega-event. It’s an all-dayer with good bands, likely good friends and good times. I like fests with 100,000 people as much as the next guy — so long as the next guy’s also crippled by anxiety in that kind of crowd — but this is more of a hometown showcase for locals and others coming in. Maybe one of these years I’ll get there too. If this is your year, right on.

Here’s info:

FULL LINEUP IS HERE

SEE YOU IN APRIL!

Art by @impillustration

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@kadabra_band
Sorcia
Wizzerd
Mother Root
Doomboyz
Cruel Velvet
Scavenger MT
Swamp Ritual
@surfbatband
Loin Hammer
@superplexrulez
–
Children of Atom
The Lucitones
@freedrugsusa

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Kadabra, Umbra (2023)

Sorcia, Lost Season (2023)