It's that time of year again, fucking Riot Fest time of course. Much like last year, which was my first foray into Riot Fest as an outdoor multiday show, I once again go into it with conflicted feelings. Once again I fully expect these to be swept under the rug by the force of loud guitars and screaming, as it should be. Here's the bands I'm recommending in no particular order but by day. I originally wanted to do Bands to Avoid, but that seemed really negative, so I guess I'm growing as a person or some shit.
SLAYER: Sure, some I follow on Twitter said, "50% Slayer." But goddamnit, that's still around 179% of a regular band. I saw them play during their last tour and they KILLED. It'll be weird seeing these guys out in the open, part of the atmosphere at my favorite Slayer shows has been hanging out in old, dark buildings, feeling the floor boards creaking when thousands of fuckers are chanting "kill, kill, kill" during At Dawn the Sleep, GOOD TIMES. Plus who knows how long these guys will keep touring, and when else are you gonna get the chance to scream along to Altar of Sacrifice along with all sorts of weird metalheads?
Gogol Bordello: Seeing G.B. is sorta like seeing Slayer, but instead of channeling hatred and apocalyptic mayhem, they channel fun and dancing and rock and roll. If you don't have fun during their set it's because you're dead.
Mastodon: Mastodon's Leviathan inspired me to read Moby Dick, that was 10 years ago, and while I haven't gotten very far in the novel I've seen these guys a bunch of times and have experienced some face melting metal. Once More Round the Sun is really proggy, but not in an annoying way, still heavy though. This should be fun and loud as fuck.
Murder City Devils: Drinkin' music! But the kind of drinking where you start off alone and end up hanging out with your friends at a favorite bar and hell why not go somewhere else, sure you gotta work in the morning, but what's the point of working if you cant go to a random rock show with your buds? Yeah, the wind is cold, but someone has a flask and the whiskey warms you up.
Clutch: Okay, okay, drinking music again, but this time it's at a cookout and you got awesome brats on the grill and you're drinking some damn good beer instead of the swill you normally drink. Clutch have been around forfuckingever it seems and they're one of the originators of what I call BBQ Metal. It's not exactly stoner metal, cause instead of sitting around doing bong hits you actually do stuff to this music. I'm not saying that hanging out doing bong hits isn't doing stuff, but try and get shit done with some good weed and Sleep's Dopesmoker on the stereo. Other bands in the genre include Black Tusk, Mastodon, Red Fang, and Howl, GOOD BANDS.
GWAR: With Oderus Urungus having gone to the lands of ashes and bone I'm not entirely sure the scumdogs will manage to pull this off, but it will be ridiculous. I guarantee ridiculousness, which sounds good on paper if you haven't seen Gwar, but to the initiated it's just redundant.
Stiff Little Fingers: Old school punks on a rampage. Their the original Godzilla to Against All Authoritie's Broderickzilla. Ah that might be unfair to AAA.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears: The first time I heard them was while checking out the bands on the line up. These dudes play bright stompy soul that would be great in a heist movie.
Radkey: Last year at Riot Fest these guys came on stage and said "If you like rock and roll you won't like us." Which was complete and utter bullshit cause they played a damn fine set of punk rock. I missed them opening for Red Fang last winter but they've been doing a lot of touring and I cant wait to see how much sharper they are after being honed on the grindstone that is the road.
Other bands that might be worth checking out: Plauge Vendor, Baby Baby, Rise Against, Jane's Addiction.
Saturday
Wu-Tang Clan: AND IF YOU GOT BEEF THEN BRING THE RUCKUS WU TANG CLAN AINT NOTHING TO FUCK WITH
Samhain: Holy shit! In between The Misfits and Danzing, Glen Danzing started Samhain. Sure the actual thing is pronounced so when, but I bet you that this is Samhayn. It's a weird sorta almost metal band, that probably sounds closer to what the Misfits would've sounded like in Danzig's head. I'm surprised that they're one of the headliners, but I bet Danzig has an "never plays in the daylight" stipulation in his contract. It'll still be cool seeing them, plus I'm sure Danzig will do some Misfits songs and of course some Danzing. Their opener for their own tour is Goatwhore, which is a hell of an act to follow, so hopefully Samhain are on the top of their game. ;
Die Antwoord: Dystopian, but in a good way, surreal dance rap. The first time I became aware of them was when one of my friends showed me the Enter the Ninja music video. I wasn't sure if it was a serious then I wasn't sure it was real. There's a lot of shit going on with their music which I dig. This is the first time I'll be seeing them as they always sell out whatever venue they're playing at whenever they're in town. I'm so excited to see them! So zeff!
Cock Sparrer: If I go England and Cock Sparrer isn't playing in the background while there's a soccer going on, then I will have not been to England.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: I can't believe I've only seen this band once! ONCE! Driving with the windows down music, fun stuff!
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes: One of the nations finest cover bands around, it sounds like I'm disparaging them but I'm really not!
The Buzzcocks: why aren't The Buzzcocks and Cock Sparrer on tour toghether and calling the Cock Fight tour? Anyway... hell yeah, the Buzzcocks are playing! That's so cool! They came to town a while ago but I didn't go because I was sure I'd be really let down, but since there are so many other bands playing today that I don't think this will be an issue and yes I will be drinking beers and singing along.
7 Seconds: As if I was going to stay out of moshpits all weekend long? What better band to get into a dumbass circle pit than 7 Seconds? I'm trying to stay young til I die and fast punk rock helps a lot.
Wavves: Last time I saw them I smoked pot with some kids, got one of them a beer, slammed into a couple in the pit and the guy tried yelling at me but I just yelled "then stay outta the pit!" to them. Goddamn right. Sure Wavves have cleaned up soundwise, but I'm expecting some rocking damnit!
The Bots: Hey wanna feel old? Check out these kids. Ah, they're not the little kids I heard about a few years ago but they are at least a good 12 years younger than me and are rocking hard enough make me feel like I've wasted my life, well done Bots, well done.
Also: Descendants, Anti Flag, The Crombies, The Flaming Lips, Television, Paul Weller(!), The Orwells, Streetlight Manifesto, Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Rose's Pawn Shop as you nurse your hangover,
Sunday
Social Distortion: Good drinking music. One of my friends went to see them a while back ago and they said that the audience consisted mostly of short guys wearing leather jackets, which sounds like the band, so they're folk music cause folk music is the folk singing to the folk. Anyway, I'm sure lots of dudes with "Sick Boy" tattooed on them will be at their set. I actually like this band, I kid because I care.
Show You Suck: Badass hip hop from Chicago! Fuck yeah! It's good times here.
Netherfriends: Yeah, another rapper from Chicago! That's kinda cool! This guy plays like a million shows a year, it's ridiculous.
Cheap Trick: The most dad rock band of the fest, but it's Cheap Trick! What the hell man, that's sorta rad! Like you don't sing along to Surrender, or I Want You to Want Me, or like you haven't blasted Live At Budokan way too many times? COOL.
Cerebral Ballzy: Drinking 40s with your crew in the summer time, playing with fire works, and making doing hilarious bong hits, plus more, all that stuff requires a soundtrack which is amply provided by C.B. To the unaware they sound like something from the late 70s/early 80s but they only formed up a few years ago! Why not run around in a circle? WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GONNA DO? DON'T LET ME TELL YOU WHAT TO DO.
Dropkick Murphys: I've seen them a few times and I really wish I could tell you more about those times, but it's like trying to look through a snorkel mask full of whiskey in an ocean of beer. So I'm going to go ahead and assumed I had a hell of a time. Goddamn I want a beer now.
Primus: There's a few bands which are the same band but from alternate realities: The Presidents of the United States and Filter, Beck and Marilyn Manson, The Flaming Lips and Primus. While I haven't been a fan of Primus or the Flaming Lips their reputation as great live bands preceeds them, which means they better goddamn rock.
Bouncing Souls: Sounds like summer time, but only now I can really appreciate it. Ah this getting older thing sucks, but I get into more moshpits now and am more willing to sing loudly in public. It kinda rules sometimes.
Andrew WK: It was my sister who introduced me to Andrew WK way back when I Get Wet came out. She said something like, "I was watching this band and these guys were headbanging and rocking and I turned it up, but they were all lame. All 'party hard.' Kinda light. You'd hate them." Of course the opposite ended up happening because I was all "HELL YEAH. PARTY HARD. This guy knows what's up." For sure I'll be partying as hard as possible during this set!
Also: Naked Ray Gun, Superchunk, The Cure, Mudhoney, Hot Snakes, Kurt Vile, Patti Smith (!), Billy Bragg, The Blue Meanie
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