I don’t feel the need to even really say anything here. The lineup speaks for itself. And those who go to this year’s RippleFest Texas will also speak of it, for years, probably in a similar way people now talk about having been at this or that Emissions From the Monolith when that was going on in Ohio. The stuff of legend, in other words. Yeah, you can put on a fest and try to make it cool and fun, or you can do something like this and make it the highlight of everybody who attends’ year.

Kudos to Lick of My Spoon Productions and Ripple Music on a job well done. This will be something special. Bands have been leaked out one at a time at intermittent daily intervals, but the final lineup is out as of today, and it’s stunning. A blend of generations, a reach from on end of the country to the other, and a swath of the heavy underground all rallied in one place for a few days, pre- and after-parties included. Fucking a. If you’re attending, count yourself lucky.

As seen on socials:

Here it is! The full lineup for RippleFest Texas #3! This will be one for the ages with a stacked lineup and lots of special treats in between. Get your tickets now!

Amazing art by @1horsetown

* playing the Pre-Party
+ playing the Afterparty

King Buffalo, Acid King, Brant Bjork Trio, Sasquatch, Wo-Fat, Fatso Jetson, Mondo Generator, Unida, The Well+, The Atomic Bitchwax, Telekinetic Yeti*, Duel, Forming the Void, Hippie Death Cult, High Desert Queen*, Avon, War Cloud, Rubber Snake Charmers, Spirit Mother+, Kind, Nick Oliveri, Thunder Horse, Royal Sons+, Restless Spirit*, (Big) Pig, Fostermother, Dead Feathers+, Rainbows Are Free, Warlung*, Sun Voyager, Red Mesa, Dunes, Tia Carrera+, Mr. Plow, The Heroine*, Michael Rudolph Cummings, The Absurd+, GoodEye*, Red Beard Wall, God Damn Good Time Band+

Plus a “Legends of the Desert and Friends” jam session to close out Saturday night!

And as always, the visuals by The Mad Alchemist Liquid Light Show

All-Access passes are SOLD OUT! All we have left are 2 Day Passes and Pre/Afterparty tickets available. Many more bands to be announced! Get your tickets now before the full lineup is revealed and the ticket price goes up!

FESTIVAL TIX: https://bit.ly/faroutxripplefest
PREPARTY TIX: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ripplefest-texas-pre-party-tickets-548171905927
AFTERPARTY TIX: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ripplefest-texas-afterparty-tickets-548185095377
FB EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1351567998746933/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LOMSProductions
https://www.instagram.com/LOMSProductions/
http://www.lickofmyspoon.com/
https://linktr.ee/Lickofmyspoon

King Buffalo, “Regenerator” live at Sonic Whip 2023

There are a bunch of ticket links here, which, hey, if you happen to be in one of cities listed below and up for hitting the gig, might be helpful. I don’t know. It doesn’t make the post look any neater — and you know I’m all about aesthetics and visual presentation; hence the by-now-retro theme of this site — but I left them there just in case. If you click one and go to the show, fair enough.

Firebreather and The Well, aside from being labelmates on RidingEasy Records and under the general umbrella of ‘heavy music’, don’t have a ton in common sound-wise, and I think that’s a good thing. They’ll complement each other well, with the bombast of the former and the semi-cultish weirdo-heavy rawness of the latter, and while Firebreather‘s Dwell in the Fog (review here) will have been out for more than a year by the time this run starts, it’s still their first time supporting it in the States. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect some new material live from The Well, meanwhile, since their most recent album, Death and Consolation (review here), came out in 2019.

In any case, it’s a solid run little less than a month, and I’m curious to see where that TBA date puts them:

PREPARE THE FIRE !!! THE WELL x FIREBREATHER FULL US TOUR THIS SPRING!!

Tue 3/28 – San Diego
Wed 3/29 – LA
Thu 3/30 – Oakland
Fri 3/31 – Portland
Sat 4/1 – Seattle
Mon 4/3 – Denver
Tue 4/4 – Omaha
Wed 4/5 – Chicago
Thu 4/6 – Detroit
Fri 4/7 – Buffalo
Sat 4/8 – Providence
Mon 4/10 – TBA
Tue 4/11 – Brooklyn
Wed 4/12 – Columbus
Thu 4/13 – Louisville
Fri 4/14 – Memphis
Sat 4/15 – New Orleans
Sun 4/16 – Houston
Mon 4/17 – TBA
Tue 4/18 – Austin
Wed 4/19 – Dallas
Thu 4/20 – El Paso (Firebreather only)
Fri 4/21 – Albuquerque (Firebreather only)
Sat 4/22 – Phoenix (Firebreather only)

——————–
This list of ticket links will be updated:

Scottsdale http://bit.ly/thewellpub
San Diego https://addmi.com/e/-NLwmHecNdzlxlyqKhGW
NYC https://link.dice.fm/Xd95d40f17a7
Detroit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-well-firebreather-the-sanctuary-detroit-tickets/12852365?pl=sanctuary
Seatlle https://wl.seetickets.us/event/The-WellFirebreather/528015?afflky=ElCorazon
Buffalo https://aftr.dk/3iJ9HVY
Columbus https://www.eventbrite.com/e/518740816747
Houston https://wl.seetickets.us/event/The-Well-Firebreather/528520?afflky=WhiteOakMusicHall
Memphis https://wl.seetickets.us/event/The-Well-with-Firebreather-at-Growlers-Memphis-TN/528261?afflky=Growlers
Portland https://www.treetix.com/198475/soundcontrol

http://www.facebook.com/thewellband
https://www.instagram.com/thewellband/
http://thewellaustin.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/firebreathergbg/
https://www.instagram.com/firebreathergbg/
https://firebreatherdoom.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ridingeasyrecords/
https://www.instagram.com/easyriderrecord/
http://www.ridingeasyrecs.com/

The Well, Death and Consolation (2019)

Firebreather, Dwell in the Fog (2022)

You can see it for yourself. Among the many Sound of Liberation-adjacent festivals taking place throughout any given non-pandemic-afflicted year — thinking of Desertfest Berlin, Up in Smoke, Keep it Low, this year’s anniversary party, etc. — you know Desertfest Berlin 2022 is going to be special. Look at that Thursday lineup. Look at that Saturday lineup. Look at Friday. Look at Sunday. There’s no weak day.

Even if the thought of one or the other of the headliners doesn’t set you on fire, there are so many other ways to go. To wit, I’ve never been a huge Baroness fan, but you got Elder, Ufomammut and Stöner right there, though I also kind of feel like the rest of Sunday’s lineup needs to be in the bigger font too, with Slift, hometown heroes Rotor, Slomosa from Norway, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs and SÂVER rounding out the final evening. I guess you could say the same all the way through.

A few more bands have been added — The Well, Vug, Velvet Two Stripes and Love Machine — and the day splits are below. It’s a no-filler lineup, and that’s about the bare minimum one can say about it.

If you’re going, right friggin’ on.

From the PR wire:

DESERTFEST BERLIN Reveals Final Line-Up & Day Splits for 2022!

Finally, Desertfest Berlin returns on May 26 – 29th, feat. ELECTRIC WIZARD, YOB, BARONESS, ORANGE GOBLIN, WITCHCRAFT, KADAVAR, ELDER, MY SLEEPING KARMA & many many more!

After two long years, this May the Desertfest Berlin community finally re-unites. To celebrate the return of heavy live music, and its 10th anniversary edition, this year Desertfest Berlin will excel with one of their best line-ups to date!

Alongside headlining bands such as ELECTRIC WIZARD and Berlin’s very own KADAVAR, 2022 will see high class acts such as WITCHCRAFT, ORANGE GOBLIN, BARONESS, Desert Legends Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri with their new outfit STÖNER, YOB, TRUCKFIGHTERS, ELDER, MY SLEEPING KARMA, 1000MODS, the return of mighty UFOMAMMUT among many more renowned as well as up & coming bands storm the stage of Desertfest Berlin! Today, the unique underground festival in the heart of Berlin has revealed its final line-up, adding VUG, LOVE MACHINE, THE WELL and VELVET TWO STRIPES to their eclectic bill of 2022!

Grateful for the loyal support and while most of the Desertfesters kept their tickets since 2020, the cult festival has extended its upcoming edition from 3 to 4 days. All 3 Days Ticket Holders will get access to all 4 Days of Desertfest Berlin, the 2020 ticket will be valid for the entire festival in 2022!

Taking place between May 26 – 29, 2022 at the Arena Berlin, and since most day and all weekend passes are sold-out, you better act quick to get a ticket for at least Thursday and/or Sunday! These rare, handful of tickets are available at www.desertfest.de – The Day Splits will look as [above.]

https://www.facebook.com/events/520164272080736
www.desertfest.de
www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin
www.instagram.com/desertfest_berlin

Desertfest Berlin 2019 aftermovie

Pick your poison here, it’s all killer. Makes sense when you think about it, too. If you’ve been waiting to have a party for two years, don’t you want to do it up? Thus it is that Sound of Liberation‘s plague-delayed 15th anniversary celebrations have become 17th anniversary celebrations — and frankly, having survived those extra two years is no mean feat either for a booking concern, or, you know, anyone — and the parties will be held June 10-11 in Munich and June 24-25 in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Simply put, the lineups aren’t fucking around. Colour Haze, Fu Manchu, High on Fire, 1000mods, Elder, Ufomammut, My Sleeping Karma, Yawning Man, Monkey3, The Well, Toundra, Villagers of Ionnina City, DVNE, Slomosa, Stoned Jesus, Lucid Void, and more to be announced. That pushes beyond “killer party” and into “this is actually a festival” territory, and after so much delay, I seriously doubt any of the concerned parties have a problem with that.

These will be significant evenings. If you’re going, drink it in.

As posted on socials:

17 YEARS SOUND OF LIBERATION FESTIVALS 2022

*** New Bands *** Day Splits *** Warm-Up Show ***

Dear friends and fans, we are excited to share a bunch of amazing news for our SOL Birthday Bashes in Munich and Wiesbaden with you.

We added some more outstanding acts to our line-ups and there’s an additional warm-up evening happening in Wiesbaden!

17 years Sound of Liberation • Backstage Munich

We’re stoked to finally share the day-splits with you!

Friday, 10th June 2022
Backstage, Munich (GER)
Line-Up: Colour Haze, High On Fire, Elder, UFOMAMMUT, Villagers of Ioannina City, Toundra, DVNE + more TBA
Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com

Saturday, 11th June 2022
Backstage, Munich (GER)
Line-Up: Fu Manchu, 1000mods, MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL, Yawning Man (Official), monkey3, The Well + more TBA
Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com

Single-Day Tickets & Weekend Tickets are available.

17 years Sound of Liberation • Wiesbaden

Our party does now start a day earlier!

We’re proud to welcome no other than mighty UFOMAMMUT (ITA) and rising stars Slomosa (NOR) (+ one more band TBA) to rip down the Kesselhaus at Schlachthof Wiesbaden on June 24th and warm-up our neck muscles for the following full festival day!

Friday 24th June 2022
Official Festival Warm-Up
Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER)
Line-Up: UFOMAMMUT, Slomosa + 1 more band TBA
Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com

Saturday 25th June 2022
Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER)
Line-Up: 1000mods, Elder, MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL, Stoned Jesus, The Well, Lucid Void + more TBA
Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com

We can’t wait for June, this is happening for real! Grab your tickets and join us in Munich and / or Wiesbaden

Stunning poster artwork by Malleus ROCK ART LAB

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

High on Fire, “Speedwolf” live in Los Angeles, Aug. 23, 2021

Ayo, good bands touring. Greek heavy rock forerunners 1000mods hit the road at last in support of 2020’s Matt Bayles-produced Youth of Dissent (review here), and they’re importing Austin, Texas, trio The Well for support. 1000mods will be at Desertfest in London and Sound of Liberation‘s A Day in Smoke (sit tight, details forthcoming) the next night in April, and then both bands will appear at Desertfest Berlin, Sound of Liberation‘s 17th anniversary party in Munich, and a ton of familiar venues on the circuit like Arena Wien in Vienna and Gaswerk in Winterthur, Switzerland, among others. Ending the tour at the SOL anniversary show — delayed by two years — is a nice touch. No doubt that’ll be a killer time.

The Well‘s last album was 2019’s Death and Consolation (review here), which cemented them as undervalued in my mind. Perhaps bringing that material out again on an extended-feeling European tour will help them hammer the point home. Also curious how 1000mods might go over, considering the somewhat shaky reception the cleaner sound of Youth of Dissent received, and, of course, if either act has new material they’ll take out on the road.

Dates follow, as culled from social media:

1000MODS + THE WELL TOUR 2022

Friends, fasten your seatbelts!

Risen from smokey basements to packed arenas, and from pioneers of the heavy stoner rock movement to one of the most promising European rock acts: 1000mods are coming all the way from Greece this Spring to present their glorious 90’s heavy tunes.

And if that’s not enough, joining from May 28th on: Austin, Texas trio The Well. If you’re fan of Black Sabbath’s fuzzy, doomy riffage, the creepy psychedelia of Syd Barrett mixed with a small pinch of Electric Wizard, this band will make you very, VERY happy.

SOUND OF LIBERATION + OUGA BOOGA & THE MIGHTY OUG proudly present:

1000MODS European Tour 2022
+ special guest THE WELL

29.04.22 – London | Desertfest London*
30.04.22 – Pratteln | Konzertfabrik Z7 – Pratteln A Day In Smoke*
03.05.22 – Paris | La Machine du Moulin Rouge*
05.05.22 – Strasbourg | La Laiterie Artefact*
06.05.22 – Hasselt | Muziekodroom Nox Tumultum*
28.05.22 – Berlin | Desertfest Berlin
30.05.22 – Hamburg | Gruenspan
31.05.22 – Copenhagen | VEGA
01.06.22 – Malmö | Plan B – malmö
03.06.22 – Hannover | MusikZentrum Hannover
04.06.22 – Dresden | Beatpol
06.06.22 – Warsaw | Hybrydy
07.06.22 – Krakow | Klub Zaścianek
08.06.22 – Vienna | ARENA WIEN
09.06.22 – Prague | Rock Café Prague
10.06.22 – Leipzig | WERK2-Kulturfabrik
11.06.22 – Munich | 17 years Sound of Liberation • Backstage Munich
12.06.22 – Graz | p.p.c.
13.06.22 – Zagreb | Klub Močvara
14.06.22 – Budapest | A38 Hajó
15.06.22 – Salzburg | Rockhouse Salzburg
16.06.22 – Winterthur | Gaswerk
17.06.22 – Mezzago | Bloom
18.06.22 – Monthey | Pont Rouge Monthey
20.06.22 – Nuremberg | Musikzentrale Nürnberg
21.06.22 – Cologne | Club Volta
22.06.22 – Bielefeld | Forum Bielefeld
23.06.22 – Amsterdam | Melkweg Amsterdam
24.06.22 – Luxemburg | Kulturfabrik Esch-sur-Alzette
25.06.22 – Wiesbaden | 17 years Sound of Liberation • Wiesbaden
13.08.22 – Moledo | SonicBlast Fest*
10.09.22 – Athens | Τεχνόπολη Δήμου Αθηναίων – Technopolis City of Athens*

*1000mods only

Grab your tickets fast and wallow in pleasant anticipation – that’s what we’ll do for sure. Can’t wait!

See you soon,
Your SOL crew

Infos and tickets: https://linktr.ee/1000mods

https://www.facebook.com/1000mods/
https://1000mods.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/1000mods

http://www.facebook.com/thewellband
https://www.instagram.com/thewellband/
http://thewellaustin.bandcamp.com/

1000mods, Youth of Dissent (2020)

The Well, Death and Consolation (2019)

Hey there tour dates. That’s nice to see, even if they would seem to arrive with the unfortunately-normalized asterisk of *yes-this-will-happen-so-long-as-it-can-happen. But I’m glad to see Austin trio The Well getting back out. The last time I posted a list of shows from the three-piece was when they were headed to Europe in January 2020 and doing US dates in Feb. and into March. Points for timing to them on that one, as they went out supporting 2019’s Death and Consolation (review here), their third album on RidingEasy Records.

I can’t help but wonder if, having spent more time off the toad — you know what? I meant to type “off the road,” but I like “toad” better and I’m leaving that typo — they have new material in the works to some degree, and as they head out with Nashvillain heavy progressives Howling Giant, the list of dates may not be months long, but they’re covering a decent amount of ground in the Midwest and toward the West Coast, and if they perhaps have other regional stints to come later next year — pending blah blah blah — they’d be off to a good start. A new record in there too? Hell if I know, but that’d be fun.

The following poster — which takes my head right to the ’90s and I’m not sure if that’s right or not — and announcement were posted on social media. Have you heard about that? It’s a whole thing:

THE WELL – TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT

Ahhh finally!!! We are beyond excited to hit the road in 2022 with Nashville’s heavy hitters @howlinggiant in tow. We’ve missed y’all!! Which show will we see you at?

2.22 – Dallas – Ruins
2.24 – El Paso – Rockhouse
2.25 – Tempe – Pub Rock
2.26 – Albuquerque – Sister Bar
2.27 – Denver – Hi Dive
3.1 – Milwaukee – Cooperage
3.2 – Chicago – Reggie’s
3.3 – Columbus – Spacebar
3.4 – Cincinnati – Northside Yacht Club
3.5 – Louisville – fifteentwelve
3.6 – Nashville – Springwater
3.9 – New Orleans – Santos
3.10 – Lafayette – Freetown
3.11 – Houston – White Oak Music Hall
3.12 – Austin – Independence Brewing
3.13 – San Antonio – Lonesome Rose

http://www.facebook.com/thewellband
https://www.instagram.com/thewellband/
http://thewellaustin.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ridingeasyrecords/
http://www.ridingeasyrecs.com/
https://www.instagram.com/easyriderrecord/

The Well, Death and Consolation (2019)

Based in Bergen, Norway, classic-style heavy prog rockers Kryptograf released their self-titled debut last June through Apollon Records and now follow with the single “The Well.” Of you’d have asked me, I would’ve said I reviewed the album. I definitely meant to. But I can’t find it and, frankly, I’ve gotten pretty decent at navigating this site, so if I can’t find it it’s probably not there. Bummer.

Bottom line of that review would have been that the band are pretty right on, proggy enough to hold that down but not so indulgent as to lose the thread of their own songs. I know I played them on the Gimme show once or twice, and they were definitely talked about at list-time, but yeah, no review. Sometimes you don’t get to cool shit. Wasn’t for any lack of desire, I assure you. Maybe I’ll close out a week with it in 2026 or something.

Either way, the new song brings ace vibe as well, so I wanted at least to mark the release, which was on Friday. You can stream it at the bottom of this post, and really, if you’ve come this far, why wouldn’t you?

Enjoy:

Kryptograf – The Well – Apollon Records

3 September 2021

Kryptograf are back with a brand new single called The Well.

Inspired by the heavy sound of the late 60s and 70s the band is still riding high on the success of their self-titled debut album from 2020. the four old souls ( young men , though, all but the drummer still in their mid twenties ) in Kryptograf from Bergen , Norway, will hex you with their collective vocals, destructive riffs and inventive songwriting.

Kryptograf is an eclectic but fiercely focused addition to the doomy Bergen underground.

Line-up:
Vegard Strand – Guitar / Vocals
Odd Erlend Mikkelsen – Guitar / Vocals
Eirik Arntsen – Drums / Vocals
Eivind Standal Moen – Bass

https://www.facebook.com/KryptografMusic/
https://www.facebook.com/bergenapollonrecords/

Kryptograf, “The Well”

One has to assume that if all were even close to being right in the world, Austin trio The Well would be spending a goodly portion of 2020 on the road. Such narratives are familiar enough by now when it comes to touring bands — yet still somehow sad — but as their home nation and mine continues its descent into reactionary fascism against the majority of public will, feels the ravages of climate change in various fires and storms — and firestorms! — and yes, still boasts tens of thousands of new cases of a not-so-global-anymore pandemic every. single. day., creativity will not be stifled. Perhaps that will be the last refuge before whatever grim fate the next several years might bring. Perhaps it will save us in the end. I won’t profess to know how it’s gonna work out.

But while things are bleak and growing bleaker with each executive tweet actively courting white supremacy, The Well have a new video. I know. Sometimes when you look at the stakes of shit happening in the world right now, these things seem minor, but you have to understand that they’re not. The fact is creativity matters — and no, that’s not a play on or a contradiction of Black Lives Matter, because jesus fucking christ Black Lives Fucking Matter and what the fuck did your parents do to you if you think otherwise, I’m just saying art is important — especially in times of turmoil. Consider the crucial output of Weimar Germany, film and paintings capturing the foreboding of that era. I wonder if decades from now people will look at the work being done in 2020 and feel the palpable sense of how we knew something was going and had gone horribly wrong, and were aware of the dangers we faced every day.

It all feels completely overwhelming, and it is. Whether you use the new The Well video for a few minutes of escapism, or just to see some color in a universe that looks increasingly grey, or just to check out the song, I’m not going to argue. It is the function of art, consciously or not, to reflect the moment of its creation in the interpretation of those making it. “Sabbah,” this live-captured version of the track from The Well‘s 2019 third album, Death and Consolation (review here), is a work in which the circumstance itself becomes part of the expression. Recorded separately by the members of the band, each then filming their part alone, they are seen spliced together, evoking the sum-of-their-parts cliché maybe, but emphasizing the importance of group function even in a moment that demands and enforces solitude.

Did The Well mean for all that to be in the video? I don’t know. Maybe they’re just trying to keep a little momentum going since they can’t, as noted, be touring. I don’t think that lessens the validity of the above. If you do, I guess you can start your own blog and write about it.

Enjoy the video:

The Well, “Sabbah” live quarantine video

During a global pandemic, an American political revolt and a new world in quarantine, one has to consider fresh ways to view the production of videos and making and performing music in unchartered territory, unlike anything this generation has seen before. The Well tackled just that when faced with creating a video for their single ‘Sabbah’ from their most recent release Death and Consolation. With a limited time frame and social distancing in full effect, The Well had to get creative, channeling a psychedelic dark experience through a very different means. Each member of the band (Ian Graham on guitar, Jason Sullivan on drums, and Lisa Alley on bass) recorded their parts individually with sound engineer, TV’s Daniel, masked up in their practice space in Austin, Texas.

The next night, on a small outdoor set, each band member filmed their respective video parts solo, joined only by TV’s Daniel as masked director and videographer. The scenes were then inter-woven together into a mesmerizing smokey psychedelic dreamscape using 3 cameras and projector lights to reconstruct the group experience. All said and done, this live version of Sabbah was recorded, mixed, shot and edited in a three day quarantine time turnaround, resulting in a unique and experimental piece of work that encapsulates the energy of The Well’s live performance, despite being surrounded by nothing but uncertainty and detachment in the world around them.

The Well, Death and Consolation (2019)

The Well on Thee Facebooks

The Well on Instagram

The Well on Bandcamp

The Well website

RidingEasy Records website

RidingEasy Records on Instagram

RidingEasy Records on Bandcamp