No, this is not the first post I’ve done with dates lined up around a band or bands playing Rocky Mountain Riff Fest 2023 this weekend. You know what? I don’t give a shit. Maybe I believe very, very strongly in the heavy of the Upper Midwest and Pacific Northwestern regions. Maybe I want to go to Montana some day because Wyoming is the most beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen and I think Montana might stand a chance of beating it in that regard. Maybe I dig underground heavy rock and roll and if I post this and share it then it’s one more thing they can post and that’s how you catch eyes and man we’re all just trying to hit that algorithm right isn’t that what life is now? Maybe?

Portland, Oregon’s Tigers on Opium, who have attitude the way major urban centers have electricity, and Twin Void, whose Free From Hardtimes was killer enough that even though I didn’t get to review it I snuck in a video premiere with Nathan Bidwell‘s Obelisk Questionnaire — that’s a good way to know I’m desperate to cover something — set out tomorrow together from the latter’s native Spokane, Washington, and will proceed through the aforementioned Rocky Mountain Riff Fest and on from there, doing three more shows in Montana because, and this is my own understanding, Montana is fucking huge, and looping back around through Idaho and Utah to finish in WA.

It’s a tidy tour worth taking the week off and making a thing out of it. If you get to see it, good on yas:

Tigers on Opium and Twin Void hit the road for a week of face smashing riff carnage. Peep the dates/locations below and get ready to come out and party with us. This will be an absolute ripper!

4/21 Spokane, WA Mootsys Bar
4/22 Kalispel, MT Rocky Mountain Riff Fest
4/23 Bozeman, MT Haufbrau House
4/24 Bozeman, MT The Filling Station
4/25 Missoula, MT Monks Bar
4/26 SLC, UT Aces High Saloon
4/27 Boise, ID Neurolux
4/28 Pullman, WA Another Round Brewing

https://www.facebook.com/twinvoidband/
https://www.instagram.com/twin_void/
https://twinvoid.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/tigersonopium/
https://www.instagram.com/tigersonopium/
https://tigersonopium.bandcamp.com/

Twin Void, Free From Hardtimes (2022)

Tigers on Opium, 503.420.6669.vol_two (2022)

You had me at Loin Hammer. That’s gotta be one of the best band names I’ve seen in the last couple years, at least. They’re somewhat thrashier than one might expect given the riffy foundations of many of the other bands, but they’re still called Loin Hammer, which is enough to make it an automatic win if you see them live. Imagine being able to say, “yeah, I’ve seen Loin Hammer.” If you’re the type to get a tattoo, that’d be a good one.

You’ll note return appearances from Merlock, Wizzerd, Swamp Ritual and The Gray Goo from last year’s Rocky Mountain Riff Fest. That says to me that in addition to an all-dayer-plus-pre-show-the-night-before, this is also a party and a reunion of friends. Pulling from the Pacific Northwest, the native Montana underground, Las Vegas and beyond, the lineup looks right on for a killer day of up and coming acts.

I looked back at what I said about the 2022 edition, and my impression was largely the same; it’s an intimate enough event that by the time it’s over everybody is going to know everybody. That kind of thing creates a sense of community which sticks as a defining factor as festivals expand — the return performances slated for 2023 are another element in establishing that — and I don’t know if you’ve ever done an image search to see what Kalispell looks like, but if you’re traveling to this one you will probably not regret booking an extra day just to take in some of the surrounding scenery, which is stunning even in Chamber of Commerce photos.

And, as noted, Loin Hammer will be there. So there’s that.

From socials:

Rocky Mountain Riff Fest 2023

April 22 at Old School Records & Eagles, Kalispell, MT

(free pre-party April 21 at Glacier Park VFW Post 2252)

Very pleased to announce the lineup for this year’s edition of Rocky Mountain Riff Fest!

Epic art by @isaacpasswaterillustration

Lineup April 22:

Tigers on Opium
Sorcia
Sonolith
Grail
Twin Void
Wizzerd
Swamp Ritual
The Gray Goo
Loin Hammer
Lacoro

Pre-Party April 21:

Merlock
Night Witch
Uncommon Evolution

https://www.facebook.com/blackmagickbooking
https://instagram.com/rockymtnrifffest

Tigers on Opium, 503.420.6669.vol.two (2022)

Merlock, Onward Strides Colossus (2023)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Nathan Bidwell of Twin Void

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I am a musician in a touring band on a record label that’s trying to make it in the music industry, I feel like I’ve always known that I wanted to be a musician and to play on stage.

Describe your first musical memory.

Some of my first musical memories is hearing my parents play music like sublime, beastie boys and slayer in the house and that to me was always inspiring and cool of them to play music that’s not just on the radio.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Still to this date the coolest memory was when we were playing in Orlando at the Warlando fest with Judas Priest and not only did we open the main stage for priest but soulfly was also on the bill and before we went on Max Cavalera (from of course soulfly but one of my all-time favorite bands sepultura) fist bumped me before our set and that to me still to this day rocks me.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I feel like back in the day when I was a straight edge vegetarian my beliefs were always tested but back then I was against animal farms and all that, but nowadays I’m not straight edge or vegetarian haha

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Artistic progression should always lead to ultimate happiness and bliss, and I think also just working with cool artists and whatnot, being able to create awesome things and being able to have a creative space.

How do you define success?

I think success is when you can fully do what you love and not have to have a secondary job to do it.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Back when my parents had chickens one morning I went to go let them out and I think someone didn’t put them away and I guess maybe a cat or raccoon got to them and lemme tell ya it was not a pretty sight.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I would really love to create a new country project one day; I feel like I have so many roots and desire for country music I think that would be so fun and especially working with banjos and fiddles and stuff would be so rad.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Being able to have good solid platforms for artistic people to show their stuff, I think a lot of the times bands will go unlistened or someone’s art may be buried because they don’t have proper platforms for people to check out, so anyone reading this keep supporting Bandcamp and all those solid platforms cause that’s what’s helping us function as a band.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

I’m currently a cook as well and I would love to get my sous chef position, culinary arts is something I’ve always really loved and I think food and music go hand in hand.

https://www.facebook.com/twinvoidband/
https://www.instagram.com/twin_void/
https://twinvoid.bandcamp.com/

Twin Void, “HELLCAT” video premiere

Twin Void, Free From Hardtimes (2022)

Somewhere between sneering punk-informed heavy rock, sneering ’80s metal — that shout of “guitar!” before the solo on “Sky Burial” is a dead giveaway — and sneering sneer, Spokane, Washington’s Twin Void‘s debut album, Free From Hardtimes, wants nothing for attitude. The trio issued the full-length in April through Electric Valley Records and are set to support it next month by hitting the road on the West Coast, keeping partial company on the run with LáGoon out of Portland, Oregon, who are soon to release their own new LP through the same label.

You can hear Free From Hardtimes below, so don’t let me prattle on too much, but after a slew of short releases between 2019 and 2020, Twin Void‘s first long-player has a definite sense of self, whether it’s the Nebula-style acoustics of “Set Me on Fire” or the drumstick-in-your-eye-on-its-way-to-the-snare punctuation of “You Can Hear the Devil Walkin’.” They are intermittently raucous, defined in part by the throaty vocals of Nathan Bidwell, and they would seem to have brought enough riffs for the whole class, so right on. In the post-lockdown era, as we mammals poke our heads out of the ground and survey the destruction wrought by that giant asteroid what slammed into our concept of a “night out,” maybe this is the kind of kick in the pants needed. I’m not a virologist, but I know catchy when I hear it.

Dates follow, as per socials and the PR wire:

TWIN VOID – West Coast Tour

New Twin Void / Lágoon WEST COAST TOUR, in support of Twin Void’s first record “Free From Hardtimes” and Lágoon jumping on the same label Electric Valley Records!

10/7 – Seattle, WA *
10/8 – Portland, OR *
10/9 – Bend, OR *
10/11 – Eureka, CA
10/12 – Sacramento, CA
10/13 – Santa Cruz, CA
10/14 – Palmdale, CA
10/15 – San Diego, CA
10/16 – Tempe, AZ
10/19 – Gallup, NM
10/20 – Denver, CO
10/21 – Salt Lake City, UT
10/22 – Boise, ID
(w/ Lágoon *)

Twin Void is:
Nathan Bidwell: Guitar/Vocals
Mike Bidwell: Bass
Cory McCallum: Drums

https://www.facebook.com/twinvoidband/
https://www.instagram.com/twin_void/
https://twinvoid.bandcamp.com/

http://electricvalleyrecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/electricvalleyrecords
https://www.instagram.com/electricvalleyrecord
https://www.evrecords.bandcamp.com

Twin Void, Free From Hardtimes (2022)