Posted in Whathaveyou on February 12th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
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
• @kadabra_band Sorcia Wizzerd Mother Root Doomboyz Cruel Velvet Scavenger MT Swamp Ritual @surfbatband Loin Hammer @superplexrulez – Children of Atom The Lucitones @freedrugsusa
This Friday, in releasing the seven-track full-length, Saturnalia, Montana-based heavy troupe Wizzerd complete a song cycle they started earlier this year with their fourth LP, Kronia (discussed here). Both are issued through Fuzzorama Records, given the double-billing Solstice, which of course is the uniting factor between the ancient pagan holidays Saturnalia and Kronia; the former is a more well-known celebration of the Roman god Saturn, the latter is an egalitarian high-summer Greek harvest celebration of the grandfather of the gods, Kronos. Both are now marked near the winter and summer solstices, hence Solstice.
The project is easily grandest Wizzerd — the four-piece of guitarist/vocalist Jhalen Salazar, guitarist Jamie Yeats, bassist Layne Matkovich and drummer Sam Moore — have undertaken in the near-decade since they began putting out their first demos. Solstice essentially takes Kronia and Saturnalia — which were recorded at the same time in an apparently fruitful but shifted process as relates to the band’s norm — and makes a 2LP from them. Double-albums are tricky at this point in history, with attention spans trained for instant gratification and a rush toward the new that might make even the 59 minutes of the two records combined — 22 minutes for Kronia, 36 minutes for Saturnalia — seem like too much of a hurdle to get over. Wizzerd‘s ultra-clever workaround? They made two different albums.
As you can read below, all of the material, the 15 songs in their totality, were tracked over the course of eight days, and some of them written during the recording process. That spontaneity unites Kronia and Saturnalia even as the two diverge in terms of persona, with Saturnalia taking the atmosphere of the mostly-acoustic Kronia and pulling it across the fuller-sounding fare of “Snoozer” with its Stoned Jesus-style croon, the 11-minute “Loops” that works itself through enough repetitions to earn the title and has a darker vibe in its early going like Viaje a 800, or “Sadbot,” which mocks its own sci-fi emotionalism but moves into a wash of resonant tone that reminds of Craneium with more choice vocals over top. The later voices, sitar sounds and acoustic triumph of “Litany” — playing the riff unplugged, but nailing it.
The earlier bit-of-finger in “Tempest,” which is very much the kind of noodling a guitarist might do in the studio while waiting for something else to be tracked, and the part-in-Spanish finale “Visalia,” in addition to “Litany” and the surfy interlude prior “To the Sea,” ensure that there’s plenty of crossover as well, just as pieces like “Hel” and “Dire Wolf” on Kronia were rockers. It’s not all black and white, one or the other, and so much the better. Where Wizzerd could’ve fallen into a trap of releasing the same album twice as so many have who’ve spaced albums between ‘Pt. 1’ and ‘Pt. 2’ — I could drop names here, but I’m not looking to just talk smack about people; it’s a complicated thing and it often doesn’t work — the listener can read a narrative from one to the next as Kronia gives over to Saturnalia, the Clutch-gone-punk “Social Butterfly Effect” closing out the former on a note of high shenanigans to let the serene, Colour Hazed heavy psych that starts “Snoozer” reorient the proceedings.
It does so expertly, and as a whole Solstice sees Wizzerd fostering new creative elements in their sound and growing more patient in their execution. But growing, emphatically and actively, pushing themselves in directions outside of where they’ve been previously, whether it was their 2022 label debut, Space‽: Issue No. 001 (review here), or their more nascent outings. Now complete in its picture with the release of Saturnalia, Solistice proves to be the work of a band finding new ways to manifest their own progression and succeeding. Even before you get to the mellow overarching vibe or the changes in arrangement throughout, the sense of ‘play’ in their playing (a looseness that at times brings to mind the resurgent Mammoth Volume), there’s little to be respected more in music or art more broadly.
Saturnalia streams in its entirety below. Kronia can be found at the bottom of this post. How you take them on might depend on whether you’ve already heard Kronia or not, but however you go, understand that the malleability of the listening experience is also part of the accomplishment here. That the way you hear it might not be the way someone else does reminds us of the individual perspectives with which we view the universe more generally, as well as our place in it.
In any case, please enjoy:
Wizzerd on Solstice:
Solstice is a new kind of project for Wizzerd in many ways. Firstly, it was created in the most spontaneous way we have ever worked, with no concrete plan together as we entered the studio for an eight day marathon of recording direct to one inch tape on a farm in Visalia, CA – with some of the songs being written while in the studio, something else we’ve never done. It is also a new creative endeavor for us in that the influence for many of the songs came from very different directions on each band member’s part, leading to material that is not only all over the place, but also unlike anything Wizzerd has made before. It was almost like a creative reforming in a way. We saw ourselves stepping away from the heavy conceptual tendencies of our previous work while writing these songs.
In this whole sporadic process, we found a common connection in what everyone was bringing to the table; the cyclical nature of life and the human condition, ego-death, which is represented in many things such as night and day or summer and winter. We decided to base the albums around this concept, organizing the music into two parts that showcased the juxtaposition in our writing. Titling the records ‘Kronia’ and ‘Saturnalia’, both named after celebrations in mid-summer and mid-winter, we decided to put the entire project together under one name. Releasing music all year seemed like a good plan considering we had so many songs laid down. With the amazing help from Cody Tarbell at Double Wide Studios on recording, Ben McLeod at BRM Studios for mixing, Mikey Allred at Dark Art Audio for mastering, and Isaac M Passwater for creating a wild illustration representing all these songs, we have made this crazy project come to life.
We present to you: Solstice.
Dive into the mind-blowing realm of WIZZERD, the powerhouse rock band emerging from the wild heart of Kalispell, Montana! Prepare to embark on a sonic odyssey with their expansive new project, ‘Solstice,’ a dual album release featuring ‘Kronia’ and its captivating second part, ‘Saturnalia.’ This ambitious collection takes you on an epic journey, seamlessly blending rock, garage, stoner, and punk influences. WIZZERD weaves a heavy and hypnotic tapestry of sound, with crushing riffs and soaring melodies that are sure to leave you spellbound.
Montana heavy rockers Wizzerd have newly announced not one, but a cycle of two full-lengths to be released in 2024 through Fuzzorama Records. The cover for the first of them, titled Kronia, was posted to their social media a couple days ago. Kronia and its yet-untitled counterpart are pieces of a whole work that’s being called Solstice, and the shenanigans-loaded video premiering below brings “HEL” as the latest single (in a series thus far of four; check Spotify) to coincide with the announcement.
Everybody caught up? Sweet. The band made their Fuzzorama label debut with 2022’s Space‽: Issue No. 001 (review here), and an earlier version of “HEL” appeared on that album’s precursor 7″, Space‽: Issue No. 000, which was released in 2021. Those who dug on it then, or who got down with the punkier side of the record that came after will likely find little to argue with in “HEL,” which is somewhat rawer in the presentation here, but suited to that with its gang-shout chorus and relatively uptempo swing, somewhere between classic boogie and barroom rock and roll, still with punk down at its roots and still catchy as hell. A mix by Ben McLeod (also guitarist for All Them Witches) helps make sense of the shove, and the master from Mikey Allred (who’s always up to something cool; seriously, just look up anything he puts his name to and you’re not likely to go wrong) gives a finish that one hopes is indicative of the whole album(s)’s sound.
And as for the video? Well, given all the snow, I’ll just assume they made it over the winter. They’re channeling the rich, violent history of Norwegian black metal with “HEL,” and a little bit giving it the LOL-ready, VHS-grainy sendup that it, like anything else that ever has taken itself so seriously, arguably earned. Spatter on snow. The woods. A sword. You get the idea. I don’t have a release date for Kronia yet, but I think preorders are starting… now?… so it can’t be too terribly far off, and hopefully they’re able to get the companion long-player to fruition before the end of the year. As it was all recorded in 2022, you might say a few crucial steps are already taken care of.
There are live dates below as well for June and July, as well as the already-nailed-down support slot for Mars Red Sky on the French heavy psych proggers’ return to the States tour in September. Wizzerd may or may not have more to come later this year in that regard too, but they were out on the West Coast in March and April, so it’s not like they’re neglecting it or anything. Two records seems like a fitting occasion to get back out, so they probably will, barring disaster.
Speaking of disasters, the clip for “HEL” is a delightful one. Please enjoy:
We are very excited to reveal the full artwork for our next album, ‘Kronia’, made by the amazingly talented @impillustration! If you’ve been following our recent single releases you will notice some details here…
‘Kronia’ will be the first of two albums released through @fuzzoramarecords in 2024 as a part of a year spanning project titled ‘Solstice’. More info on LP/CD preorders coming very soon!
‘Solstice’ is a project we have been working on for just over two years now. The albums are a culmination of many different styles and showcase wide input from all members’ out-reaching musical ideas.
All tracks were recorded direct to 1” tape at @dblwidestudio in Visalia, CA by @skitchpatterson in March 2022.
All tracks mixed by @benmcleod88 at @brmsound and mastered by Mikey Allred @darkartaudio.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 21st, 2024 by JJ Koczan
In addition to a slot at Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, on March 22 and a three-pack of dates in the company of Matt Pike‘s Pike vs. the Automaton, the upcoming West Coast tour from Montana heavy rockers Wizzerd will lead to their return appearance at Rocky Mountain Riff Fest (info here), to be held April 20 in the band’s native Kalispell.
The four-piece toured this past Fall in support of 2022’s Space‽: Issue No. 001 (review here), hitting the Midwest and touching on the Eastern Seaboard, so a Spring complement along the Pacific (and inland) seems about right. They had talked at that point about moving on toward their next release, whatever shape that might ultimately take, and while this tour is substantial, I don’t see it precluding a focus on new material at all. What, if they play a couple new songs live it’s gonna hurt the next record? The opposite seems much likelier.
Either way — and mind you I don’t know that they’ll be playing new songs at all on the run — they continue to put their work in. The shows were posted on socials thusly:
⚡️TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT⚡️ We’re pleased to announce the Equinox Tour! We can’t wait to get back out on the west coast, and there are some real doozies on this one. More news coming very soon, but for now we’ll see you at one of the dates below… Details at the link in our bio! • 3/16 – Kalispell, MT – Eagles 3/22 – Boise, ID – @treefortfest 3/23 – Salt Lake City, UT – @aceshighsaloon_slc 3/24 – Las Vegas, NV – Dive Bar 3/26 – Tempe, AZ – @yuccataproom 3/27 – Los Angeles, CA – @theredwoodbarandgrill 3/29 – Oceanside, CA – @pourhouseoceanside 3/30 – Yucca Valley, CA – @giantrockmeetingroom 4/1 – Santa Cruz, CA – @bluelagoonsc 4/2 – San Francisco, CA – @theknockoutsf 4/3 – Eureka, CA – @solarsiren 4/5 – Portland, OR – @dantesportland * 4/6 – Bremerton, WA – @tracytonmoviehouse * 4/7 – Seattle, WA – @elcorazonseattle * 4/20 – Kalispell, MT – @rockymtnrifffest *=with Pike vs the Automaton
Poster by @isaacpasswaterillustration
Wizzerd is: Guitar/Vocals – Jhalen Salazar Guitar – Jamie Yeats Drums – Sam Moore Bass – Layne Matkovich
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
You can see in the lineup for Rocky Mountain Riff Fest 2024 that the festival, which is set for April 20 in Kalispell, Montana, is expanding its reach. Yes, Wizzerd, Sorcia, Merlock, The Gray Goo and Spliffripper have played before — The Old Ones played Erosion Festival in 2016; I remember thinking that looked awesome and it did — but returning parties are accompanied by newcomers like Lord Velvet, Chokesetter and Hot Milk and the Flower Pallets, who play the pre-show, and I think they’ll have two stages going and Mos Generator are popping eastward from their home in Port Orchard, Washington, which is probably like a 40-hour drive or something, to headline. I’d go to this in a second, man. That’s a good way to spend a day, and you’re in Kalispell, which looks gorgeous.
The full lineup was announced on social media — I know, crazy, right? — and notes a venue change that looks like it’ll actually be pretty cool having it all in one place. Dig:
FULL LINEUP HAS ARRIVED!
We’re excited to reveal the lineup for #rmrf2024! We are welcoming back some heavy hitters, and introducing some bands to the Flathead valley for the first time.
-MOS GENERATOR- -SORCIA- -LORD VELVET- -MERLOCK- -CHOKESETTER- -WIZZERD- -GREASE CULT- -THE GRAY GOO- -THE OLD ONES- -SURFBAT- -SCHTICKY- -SPLIFFRIPPER- -FREE DRUGS- -HOT MILK AND THE FLOWER PALLETS-
In years past, Riff Fest has been a block party between the legendary @oldschoolrecords134 and the Eagles in downtown Kalispell. Facing the closure of the 1st Street location of OSR, we are now taking over two levels of the Eagles! It’s going to be a party in the whole building, with our traditional free pre-party at the Glacier Park VFW.
We are also proud to bring on some local sponsors who are stoked to help bring some killer music to the valley!
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 16th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Montana-based heavy rockers Wizzerd released their first album for Fuzzorama, titled Space‽: Issue No. 001 (review here), last September, and as they announced this tour that will bring them to the East Coast for the first time since it arrived, I couldn’t help but notice the word “final” included. Is the implication that the band are done after this? A last hurrah and that’s it? Would be unfortunate timing, most especially since the record was cool, but I reached out to guitarist Jamie Yeats for clarification and was assured that no, they’re not saying they’re breaking up, it’s just probably the last time they’ll be out supporting the latest album. Fair. It will have been a year, after all.
And glad as I am they’re not dissolving the project, it’s also rad to see them doing shows with Greek heavy forerunners 1000mods on their US tour and Fuzzorama labelmates Valley of the Sun, from Ohio, who are also doing some of their best work right now, at this very moment. Seems like the kind of show one might consider hitting up, should they be rolling through your neighborhood. Go to a show. Buy a shirt.
Here are the dates:
TRANSMISSION:
Wizzerd is excited to reveal the Afterburner Tour! We will journey east in a final‽ voyage through space…
We will travel alone in the first half and return to home alongside 1000mods and Valley of the Sun.
Join us in the fight against moon spiders.
Artwork by Isaac Passwater
9/6 – Billings, MT – Kirk’s Grocery 9/7 – Spearfish, SD – Crow Peak Brewing 9/8 – Denver, CO – Skylark 9/9 – Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge 9/10 – St. Louis, MO – Platypus 9/12 – Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant St 9/14 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East# 9/15 – Buffalo, NY – Soup of Dissent 9/16 – Youngstown, OH – Westside Bowl# 9/18 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe# 9/20 – Fort Wayne, IN – Stan’s Room# 9/21 – Des Moines, IA – Lefty’s# 9/22 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge# 9/23 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club# 9/24 – Chicago, IL – Reggies# #=with 1000mods and Valley of the Sun
Wizzerd is: Guitar/Vocals – Jhalen Salazar Guitar – Jamie Yeats Drums – Sam Moore Bass – Layne Matkovich
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 14th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
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
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 31st, 2022 by JJ Koczan
It’s a big ‘un. And if you’re like me, there are a couple names that stick out from the poster below, particularly Earthride and The Skull. Both are tribute sets, of course. The Skull frontman Eric Wagner passed away in 2021 after complications from a covid-19 infection and the loss of Earthride‘s Dave Sherman just a couple months ago continues to be keenly felt in and beyond the confines of the scene he called home. Karl Agell (ex-C.O.C.) will step in for The Skull, while Scott Angelacos of Hollow Leg is set to front a rotating cast of players for Earthride. You would be hard-pressed to find a more fitting occasion for honoring one’s own, except perhaps this gig in a couple weeks.
Plenty of familiar, returning acts as well as newcomers. Hippie Death Cult and will travel from the Pacific Northwest, Switchblade Jesus and Doomstress make an appearance (not the first for either) from Texas, and Red Mesa come straight out of the capital-‘desert’ Desert. Meanwhile, Faith in Jane, Black Lung, Bloodshot, Mangog, Mythosphere, Thonian Horde, Spiral Grave and plenty of others represent the Maryland home team, High Leaf and Thunderbird Divine trip down from Philly, Curse the Son (CT) and Guhts (NY) come from farther north, Hollow Leg make the trip out from Florida, and Lo-Pan, Doctor Smoke and Brimstone Coven head over from the Midwest. That’s just off the top of my head. I’m not sure there’s ever been a MDDF pulling so many bands from different parts of the country, though of course international bands have featured in the past as well.
There are always some shakeup between the first announcement and the final lineup, but so far so good here. Any way it works out, Maryland Doom Fest has nothing to prove at this point. Guaranteed banger.
Here’s the poster (oy) and the lineup, the latter in alphabetical order:
Maryland Doom Fest 2023
June 22-25 – Frederick, MD
We are proud to present to you The Maryland DooM Fest 2023 lineup roster and 2023 promotional art!!!!
We showcase over 50 kickass bands bringing you heavy riffs over these #4daysofdoom!!
The centerpiece art was created by Joshua Adam Hart (Earthride, Unorthodox, Revelation, Chowder, Stout, to name a few).
Josh is a career tattoo artist and is currently scheduling appointments at Triple Crown Towson Tattoo. Schedule to get ink from him at info@triplecrowntowson.com
The incredible flyer layout, coloring, and design is by our very talented Bill Kole (make sure to check out his band Ol’ Time Moonshine)!!
Above the Treachery, Akris, Black Lung, Bloodshot, Bonded by Darkness, Borracho, Brimstone Coven, Cobra Whip, Conclave, Crowhunter, Curse the Son, DeathCAVE, Doctor Smoke, Doomstress, Double Planet, Dust Prophet, Earthride, Faith in Jane, False Gods, Flummox, Fox 45, Future Projektor, Gallowglas, Grim Reefer, Guhts, Helgamite, High Leaf, Hippie Death Cult, Hog, Hollow Leg, Hot Ram, Las Cruces, Leather Lung, Lo-Pan, Mangog, Mythosphere, Orodruin, Red Mesa, Severed Satellites, Shadow Witch, Smoke the Light, Spiral Grave, Switchblade Jesus, The Skull, Thonian Horde, Thousand Vision Mist, Thunderbird Divine, Unity Reggae, VRSA, Weed Coughin, Wizzerd
