Psycho Las Vegas 2018: Live From Hard Rock Hotel And Casino


Psycho Las Vegas has grown and evolved over the years and has shaken off any comparisons to niche European fests and your traditional US fest, itself having no close comparisons, and being its own beast. Having everything under one roof including your stay can lead to late and debaucherous nights for some, packed and planned diverse schedules for the devout, a little compromise of both for others, but an all around good time for all. For a journalist working the fest, it goes by in a blur but you still experience having those stand out moments as well as highlights of your own. Continue reading


Danzig Added As The Final Headliner Of Psycho Las Vegas


Danzig has been named as the final headliner of Psycho Las Vegas 2018. The fest will take place from August 17th-19th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

 

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UPDATE: Psycho Las Vegas Lineup Change, YAITW No Longer On The Bill


As Ghost Cult announced last week the 2018 Psycho Las Vegas festival will be taking place from August 17th-19th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The lineup promised to be a banger, with one notable change, Young And In The Way (YAITW) have canceled their appearance at the fest due to their impending breakup. They were to have played the pre-festival pool party event on August 16th. The festival will announce a replacement soon. Continue reading


2018 Psycho Las Vegas Lineup To Feature Dimmu Borgir, The Hellacopters, Witchcraft, High on Fire, Goblin, And More!


The 2018 Psycho Las Vegas festival will be taking place from August 17th-19th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Today the organizes have unveiled the final lineup, and it’s just AWESOME. Continue reading


Wrecking Ball: Day 2 – The Masquerade, Atlanta GA


 

wrecking ball atl

Day 2 of Wrecking Ball didn’t start until after 1 PM, so people had ample chance to recover in spite of the after parties. The early day belonged to bands on the outdoor Music Park Stage and the Heaven Stage. Early bands such as Yuck, and and Basement woke kids out of their stupors. Fans who showed up early got a treat seeing Mutoid Man’s Stephen Brodsky pull double duty later on with legends Cave In. Another highly anticipated group was the return of Glassjaw in only their second show back in action. They really brought it back with their set chock full of hits. Other early bands of note included Girlpool, the excellent Appleseed Cast, and screamo legends Thrice. Later on Desparecidos and American Nightmare brought the swelling crowds at witnessing their respective sets to their knees. American Nightmare in particular has been killing it live and tonight was no exception. Finally Coheed And Cambria closed the night in epic fashion. Wrecking Ball, we are already looking forward to next year. Thanks again to Boston Chuck Photograpy for the great shots from a packed photo pit!

Basement, by Boston Chuck Photography

Basement, by Boston Chuck Photography

Mutoid Man, by Boston Chuck Photography

Mutoid Man, by Boston Chuck Photography

Foundation, by Boston Chuck Photography

Foundation, by Boston Chuck Photography

 

Glassjaw, by Boston Chuck Photography

Glassjaw, by Boston Chuck Photography

Thrice, by Boston Chuck Photography

Thrice, by Boston Chuck Photography

Coheed And Cambria, by Boston Chuck Photography

Coheed And Cambria, by Boston Chuck Photography

Coheed And Cambria, by Boston Chuck Photography

Coheed And Cambria, by Boston Chuck Photography

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Wrecking Ball: Day 1- The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA


wrecking ball atl

The crowd outside Wrecking Ball, by Boston Chuck Photography

The crowd outside Wrecking Ball, by Boston Chuck Photography

With destination concert events being the next big thing, every city is trying to come up with an even to put them on the map. Atlanta has pulled off an impressive start with the first annual Wrecking Ball at the venerable Masquerade venue. Judging by the success with the lineup and the response from the crowd, we have every reason to believe this fest will be a round for years to come. Even though if you Google the fests name, you still get that silly girl Miley and her video, the fest unironically had their own wrecking ball too, with people doing the Miley pose in jest. And the bands on day one wrecked the stage and had fans from all over wrecking their bodies in the Atlanta summer heat to the mostly punk rock extravaganza. Descendents may be long time veterans of the scene, but they performed with more energy than most bands half their age. Judge brought the old-school beatdown sensability. The heady minds in Failure were an anomaly on the bill, but a welcome one that added to the diversity of it. Their new album The Heart Is A Monster (InResidence) is killer. Back to the punk side of things Modern Life is War, The Get Up Kids, TheMovieLife, SamIAm, and Title Fight all brought it big time. Pianos Become The Teeth is another band that had their own crowd on hand for this show. The outdoor stage added a real specialness to this event, and those bands seemed to really relish the true fest feels. Shot here for Ghost Cult by Boston Chuck Photography, day one of Wrecking Ball more than set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Day 2 coverage coming soon!

 

Descendents, by Boston Chuck Photography

Descendents, by Boston Chuck Photography

Failure, by Boston Chuck Photography

Failure, by Boston Chuck Photography

Judge, by Boston Chuck Photography

Judge, by Boston Chuck Photography

Modern Life Is War, by Boston Chuck Photography

Modern Life Is War, by Boston Chuck Photography

Pianos Become The Teeth, by Boston Chuck Photography

Pianos Become The Teeth, by Boston Chuck Photography

TheMovieLife, by Boston Chuck Photography

TheMovieLife, by Boston Chuck Photography

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This Is Hardcore- Part 2: Live At Electric Factory


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Biohazard by Anne Spina Photography

Biohazard by Anne Spina Photography

On Saturday at This Is Hardcore we got an awesome all-day lineup with Brooklyn’s Biohazard killing it still. Pennsylvania’s own Wisdom In Chains played, who are a fan favorite and a gift every year. Mad Joe even gave us the gift of telling us he was going to be a father again. New Jersey’s Lifleless is a band that is making the east coast look amazing again for hardcore. If you haven’t heard Dream it’s a must to own.

Lifeless, by Anne Spina Photography

Lifeless, by Anne Spina Photography

 

Sand of Japan came close to stealing the show. Makoto, their lead singer is wilder than Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan. It was sad to see Philly’s Rock Bottom come to an end, but they were amazing. The guys basically threw a party and chucked a bunch of toilet paper around the Electric Factory the whole set. It was actually pretty fun. Xibalba from Los Angeles is the band that is bringing hardcore and metal to the extreme. I think to me they remind me of the 90’s Swedish Death Metal bands. Turnstile killed it. In my mind Nonstop Feeling is the best album of 2015. Bane, those Boston boys, will always hold this festival night down. They “won” This Is Hardcore 2K15 to me. It’s sad to see a band who mattered in hardcore to me since 2000 call it to an end.

Foreseen (HKI) by Anne Spina Photography

Foreseen (HKI) by Anne Spina Photography

Twitching Tongues, by Anne Spina Photography

Twitching Tongues, by Anne Spina Photography

 

On Sunday the winners for the fest were Foreseen (HKI) from Finland. If you are a D.R.I. & Municipal Waste fan, bands like Foreseen are the best. I definitely thrashed like an athlete. You also had Twitching Tongues who to me is the most metallic hardcore band out there. Tongues also recently signed to Metal Blade Records. They are a game changer in heavy music. All Out War also played Sunday and featuring some songs off the new EP which I have to say is heavy. All Out War is a great band. Their moshers are wild and as a band they are a must to see. H2O killed Sunday night for me. Toby Morse playing a 20th Anniversary set and getting friends and family to come up and sing with him on songs. Of course The Exploited from the U.K. who I say kicked arse. They still are there to prove “punk is not dead.”

H2O, Anne Spina Photography

H2O, Anne Spina Photography

The Exploited, by Anne Spina Photography

The Exploited, by Anne Spina Photography


Besides the music at This Is Hardcore, you have food trucks all over the fest. Distros of all kinds like Shop Shogun, Bridge Nine, Deathwish, Fast Break Records, and Harvcore Records. And even apparel like American Straight Edge Apparel. There’s also SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) Demo Fighting in the parking lot so if you want to fight like a knight or a viking. it’s the right place to do it. This is Hardcore is a fest that is important to this city. The fact that this fest moved from a small venue to the biggest venue in Philly, proves something. It was even heart-warming to hear that Joe Hardcore proposed to his longtime girlfriend Jessica Parr here. I have to say that this fest has something for everyone. It’s cool to see how packed it was for days like Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. When I look back at all the fests I’ve gone to, this is the one I approve at all costs. If you haven’t been here you’re missing out.

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WORDS BY MATT O’TONIC MCGROARTY
PHOTOS BY ANNE SPINA


This Is Hardcore- Part 1: Live At Union Transfer & Electric Factory


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Snapcase, by Anne Spina Photography

Snapcase, by Anne Spina Photography


Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The city of brotherly love, cheesesteaks. Rocky Balboa, and the almighty This Is Hardcore Fest, the biggest music festival on the east coast that supports the hardcore and punk. Joe Hardcore McKay started this fest 9 and he still does not disappoint. The first day of the fest this year was held at Union Transfer in Philly. The other three days were held at The Electric Factory (very close to The Transfer). Day one the fest had reunions and goodbyes. Buffalo New York’s Snapcase headlined this day. Singer Daryl Taberski said to the crowd Thursday Night “It’s great to perform to old fans and new fans”. The great vegan/straight edge band Chokehold from Canada also had reunited at This Is Hardcore. Not only did they co-headline the first day, but they also played an after show at the Voltage Lounge the next night. The sad part about Thursday was saying goodbye to Foundation, probably one of the most promising hardcore bands in this decade.

Chokehold, by Anne Spina Photography

Chokehold, by Anne Spina Photography

We also some great friends and hometown heroes in Agitator. They were ready to call it quits and I for one say it was great Joe Hardcore put them on this bill. I heard Joe say a month ago on The Post America Podcast “It wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t put them on”. One band who stole the show that to me was Code Orange. Code Orange is one of the best bands out of the keystone state. The album I Am King (Deathwish Inc.) is a must own. The fact they came off Mayhem Festival and played this and not to mention all surprise guest vocalists to sing including Jeremy Tingle of Lifeless. It was a must see show. It will be amazing when Sunny Singh of Hate5six.com posts that set.

Code Orange, by Anne Spina Photography

Code Orange, by Anne Spina Photography

On Friday there were a lot of main event heavy hitters especially the main event. Another reunion that is very important to talk about here. Boston’s American Nightmare (AKA Give Up The Ghost) headlined and made it beautiful. The band played probably one of their greatest sets out of all the reunion shows they’ve done so far. I’ve seen some footage of the Boston and New York shows they played, but tonight they amazed me. Being an American Nightmare fan since my junior year of high school, and now getting to see them thirteen years later, I felt like a kid again.

American Nightmare, Anne Spina Photography

American Nightmare, Anne Spina Photography

Cruel Hand, by Anne Spina Photography

Cruel Hand, by Anne Spina Photography

Another band that impressed me was Seoul, South Korea’s The Geeks. One of the best hardcore bands to graceful the U.S. surface in a minute. They definitely know how to get a crowd going. So does Cruel Hand of Portland Maine. They are that metallic hardcore band who can take the heaviest breakdown into the most thrashy beat to blast. It’s very much it’s a party when they play. Friday also featured power violence band Nails, who also made me a fan.

The Geeks, by Anne Spina Photography

The Geeks, by Anne Spina Photography

Nails, by Anne Spina Photography

Nails, by Anne Spina Photography

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WORDS BY MATT O’TONIC MCGROARTY
PHOTOS BY ANNE SPINA


Faith No More, Motorhead, Rancid, etc Confirmed For Riot Fest Chicago 2015


riot fest chicago 2015

The Chicago Riot Fest 2015 will be happening on September 11-13, 2015 at Douglas Park. More artists are expected to be announced, including one more headliner who has yet to be announced.

No Doubt
Faith No More
Iggy Pop
Snoop Dogg (performing Doggystyle)
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley
Motörhead
Rancid (performing …And Out Come The Wolves)
Tenacious D
Billy Idol
Ice Cube & Special Guests (performing Straight Outta Compton Remix)
Alkaline Trio
Coheed And Cambria
Taking Back Sunday
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Drive Like Jehu
Merle Haggard
Flogging Molly
Slightly Stoopid
L7
Alexisonfire
Thrice
The Dirty Heads
Stephen “Ragga” Marley
The Academy Is… (performing “Almost Here“)
The Lawrence Arms
Kongos
Cypress Hill
Echo & The Bunnymen
Bootsy Collin’s Rubber Band
The Devil Wears Prada
Yelawolf
Pennywise
The Airborne Toxic Event
Manchester Orchestra
Eagles Of Death Metal
Anthrax
De La Soul
The Damned
Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness
New Politics
Mayday Parade
Jimmy Cliff
Against Me!
Babes In Toyland
Ok Go
Bayside
Mest
Andrew W.K.
Desaparecidos
The Joy Formidable
The Dead Milkmen
Atreyu
Fidlar
Millencolin
American Nightmare
Swervedriver
Lee Scratch Perry
Gwar
Less Than Jake
The Expendables
Living Colour
The Thurston Moore Band
Morgan Heritage
Lifetime
Benjamin Booker
Fishbone
Death
Doomtree
Hum
Tarrus Riley
Mariachi El Bronx
Civ
Joyce Manor
Every Time I Die
The Movielife
The Dwarves (performing “Blood Guts And Pussy“)
Tommy Stinson
Steve Ignorante & Paranoid Visions
Real Friends
The Dear Hunter
Kevin Devine
Mustard Plug
The Ataris
Jo Mersa
Into It. Over It.
Alvvays
The White Buffalo
Black-Am-I
Skip Marley
Knuckle Puck
Post Mallone With FKI
Jazz Cartier
Marmozets
Modern Life Is War
Fit For Rivals
Barb Wire Dolls
The Coathangers
Flatfoot 56
Teenage Bottlerocket
Prayers
CHON
Counterpunch
Have Mercy
Speedy Ortiz
Superheaven
White Mystery
Foxing
Direct Hit!
Main Attrakionz
Ground Up
Skinny Lister
Beach Slang
Cayetana
Alex Wiley
Heems
Dirty Fences
Blis
Sleep On It
The Brokedowns
Meat Wave
Psalm One
Northern Faces
Dreamers
Souvenirs
Elway
Indian Handcrafts
Skating Polly
Signals Midwest
Modern Chemistry
Faulkner
Pears
Gateway Drugs
Tasha The Amazon
Foxtrott
Twin River
Clowns
Indian School
Die Selloutz
The Municipal Drainage Project
Special performances will also be made by The Rock-Afire Explosion and the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Revue.

CHICAGO: FIRST WAVE of lineup announcements for Riot Fest & Carnival are here!TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!!…

Posted by Riot Fest on Wednesday, May 27, 2015