Riot Fest 2021 Adds Patti Smith, Alkaline Trio, The Flaming Lips and More


Riot Fest has made the final weekend additions to the 2021 event, kicking off September 19th, 2021, which will be the fest’s first-ever Thursday Preview Party. Patti Smith and Her Band and Alkaline Trio will join Thursday night, with additional sets from Joyce Manor (performing their self-titled 2011 debut), WDRL, and Kristeen Young. As for Sunday, The Flaming Lips will return to Riot Fest on Sunday, bringing the fest-favorites back to Douglass Park on September 19 to replace Pixies. Sunday attendees will also get into the Thursday Preview Party for free, with a host of freshly-announced perks included. Tickets are on sale now at the link below.

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Northlane – Mesmer


Mesmer (UNFD/Rise) has been coming. This lush, expertly crafted album should come as no surprise. We’ve not just had the warning signs that its protagonists, Australian progressive metalcore act Northlane were ready to bring it all together for a couple of albums now, it’s been portended in neon lights that they could. That they should. And while the band may have enjoyed relative success to date, they had yet to fully convince. That is, until now.Continue reading


Vans Warped Tour 2015 – Pomona Fairgrounds and Seaside Park at Ventura Fairgrounds


Warped-2015-lineup

Another year has arrived for the Vans Warped Tour full of anticipation and excitement to hit the summertime across North America. This year’s edition maintains their tradition of youth oriented angst filled music (or whatever the kids call it these days) and carving a path for the next batch of rising stars on the scene. Thanks to photographer Kevin Estrada for shooting these two dates of Warped tour for Ghost Cult!

The main stages (Shark and Unicorn) showcased the main attractions on the tour, ranging from the pop punk acts (The Wonder Years) to the screamo/emo (Pierce The Veil, Blessthefall) to the crossover half melodic and half aggro (We Came As Romans) to the harder sounding (August Burns Red) managed to keep the kids bouncing around in the crowd and rarely laying low.

August Burns Red, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

August Burns Red, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Tour veterans Motion City Soundtrack made their brief California run appearance, showing the crowd how things are done on this tour. Metro Station (featuring Trace Cyrus, son of country performer Billy Ray Cyrus), melodic punk act Man Overboard, and hardcore outfit Fit For A King all set the pace for the day with their respective sounds while keeping the crowd engaged.

Atilla, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Atilla, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

The main acts on these stages won over the crowd throughout the day. Memphis May Fire got the crowd into a high with their half heavy yet melodic styling that struck a nerve with them; Attila, led by their enigmatic frontman Chris “Fronz” Fronzak and his guitar crunching yet Eninem-esque “meth” suit bouncing along with the crowd; Black Veil Brides and their legions of die hard fan base singing along to every word; and Miss May I and their modern metallic sound that got the crowd worked up later on in the day.

The Amity Affliction, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

The Amity Affliction, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

While the main stage had their moments going on, there were a number of side stage acts making noise of their own. The Monster Stage housed their own brand of chaos throughout the day, as Senses Fail, Being As An Ocean, Beartooth, Mallory Knox and The Amity Affliction all got the pit crew throwing down alongside each band and rarely letting down. The harder driving acts such as hardcore outfit Hundredth had the pit kids going in effect, while veteran Canadian post hardcore act Silverstein had their mix of longtime fans as well as newbies who both showed their appreciation for the band. Australian metallic hardcore outfit I Killed The Prom Queen appeared to be bass player less, but that didn’t stop them from bringing out their At The Gates meets hardcore stomp to these fans. British metalcore act While She Sleeps briefly were down a singer (ie visa problems kept frontman Lawrence Taylor making a late start on the tour) but friends pitched in to lend a helping hand and fans didn’t even notice. Plus Escape The Fate closed out the evening with their eclectic brand of punk meets screamo meets modern metal that got the late comers their last bit of a sweat.

Neck Deep, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Neck Deep, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

On the other stages, indie hip hop acts MC Lars gave a lesson in nerdcore with rhymes about video games and Game of Thrones (ie his latest single “Dragon Blood), while Kosha Dillz brought out his East Coast blend of Spanish, English and Hebrew rhymes; and electro-DJ-performance duo mystery men Drama Club put on an interesting performance that combined part Blue Man Group-esque percussive moments with part electronica meets EDM moments and spontaneous bursts of energy that kept the interested crowd on its feet.

Pvrvis, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Pvris, photo © Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

The Journeys Stages found Juliette Sims and Night Riots wowing the crowd with their high energy sets, while hotly tipped electro pop outfit PVRIS became one of the much talked about acts on the tour and their set did not disappoint. Hip hop act Riff Raff put on quite the entertaining show on this stage, with his colorful summertime dress and animated raps to get the crowd bouncing along.

New York alternative rockers The Karma Killers stood out amongst the vast number of acts performing on the Ernie Ball Stage, with their fresh take on classic pop-punk, rock, and alternative rock with an energetic stage show. While they are newly signed to Island/Def Jam and new to the scene, they showed that they could one day end up on one of the larger stages in the new future.

The Acoustic Basement easily became an area largely for shade against the sun, but while most of the acts attracted stragglers throughout the day, Canadian singer-songwriter Saywecanfly and Brian Marquis were two of the acts who attracted a decent sized crowd throughout the day. Saywecanfly attracted a packed tent and entertained the audience with his emotion filled lyrics that got his largely female audience awaiting with anticipation.

Overall, this year’s edition featured a good mix of repeat acts moving up to larger stages, as well as a number of fresh faces to the scene. It is a positive sign to see new acts on the rise at a time when the music industry is struggling to attract new acts to the public. Hopefully someone is paying attention to this tour to see that there is a new generation of artists on the rise.

Set it Off, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Set it Off, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

 

 

 

Tat, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Tat, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

We Came As Romans, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

We Came As Romans, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Miss May I, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

Miss May I, photo©Kevin Estrada / kevinestrada.com

 

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WORDS BY REI NISHIMOTO

PHOTOS BY KEVIN ESTRADA


Audio + Tour: Citizen – Stain + Vans Warped Tour Dates Confirmed


citizen

Citizen is streaming “Stain,” off of their sophomore album Everybody Is Going To Heaven out June 23, 2015 via Run For Cover Records below. They recorded the album with Will Yip at Studio 4. Members Nick Hamm (guitar, vocals), Jake Duhaime (drums), Ryland Oehlers (guitar) and Eric Hamm‘s (bass) contributions are celebrated through an abrasive atmospheric core that oscillates between unforgiving and nurturing, while singer Mat Kerekes careens between distress and violent bliss, tackling a variety of heady topics. The band will be taking part of this year’s Vans Warped Tour with dates posted below.

citizen everybody is going to heaven

Citizen Everybody Is Going To Heaven Tracklisting:
01: Cement
02: Dive Into My Sun
03: Numb Yourself
04: Heaviside
05: My Favorite Color
06: Weave Me (Into Yr Sin)
07: Stain
08: Ten
09: Yellow Love
10: Ring of Chain

Jun 19: Pomona Fairplex – Pomona, CA (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 20: Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 21: Seaside Park – Ventura, CA (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 23: Quail Run Park – Mesa, AZ (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 24: Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 25: Remington Park – Oklahoma City, OK (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 26: NRG Park Main St Yellow Lot – Houston, TX (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 27: Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX (Warped Tour Date)
Jun 28: AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 01: Tennessee State Fairgrounds – Nashville, TN (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 02: Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood – Atlanta, GA (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 03: Vinoy Park – St. Petersburg, FL (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 04: Coral Sky Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 05: Tinker Field – Orlando, FL (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 06: Morocca Shrine Auditorium & Grounds – Jacksonville, FL (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 07: PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 08: Farm Bureau Live – Virginia Beach, VA (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 09: First Niagara Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 10: Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 11: Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheatre – Wantagh, NY (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 12: Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, CT (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 14: Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 15: Darien Lake PAC – Darien Center, NY (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 16: Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 17: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 18: Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 19: PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 21: The Pavilion at Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 23: Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 24: The Palace of Auburn Hills Parking Lot – Detroit, MI (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 25: First Midwest Bank Amphitheater – Chicago, IL (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 26: Canterbury Park – Shakopee, MN (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 27: Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Maryland Heights, MO (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 28: Marcus Amphitheatre – Milwaukee, WI (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 29: Klipsch Music Center – Noblesville, IN (Warped Tour Date)
Jul 30: Cricket Wireless Amphitheater – Bonner Springs, KS (Warped Tour Date)
Aug 01: Utah State Fairpark – Salt Lake City, UT (Warped Tour Date)
Aug 02: Pepsi Center Parking Lot – Denver, CO (Warped Tour Date)
Aug 05: Qualcomm Stadium Parking Lot – San Diego, CA (Warped Tour Date)
Aug 07: Portland Expo Center – Portland, OR (Warped Tour Date)
Aug 08: White River Amphitheater – Auburn, WA (Warped Tour Date)

Citizen on Facebook
Citizen on Twitter


Senses Fail, Miss May I, etc Confirmed For Vans Warped Tour 2015


vans warped tour logo

The Vans Warped Tour announced eight more artists at the kickoff party at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA this past Tuesday, April 7, 2015. The acts confirmed include:

Senses Fail
Miss May I
H2O (08/07-08/08)
Knuckle Puck
The Bunny The Bear (07/26-08/08)
Kaya Stewart (07/15-08/08)
TAT (06/19-07/01)
Macy Kate (07/02-07/04, 07/06)

They joined previously confirmed acts:

Asking Alexandria
Black Veil Brides
Attila
August Burns Red
Memphis May Fire
We Came As Romans
Blessthefall
Hundredth
I Killed The Prom Queen
’68
Beartooth
Sirens And Sailors (07/14-08/08)
Slaves (07-14-08/08)
The Amity Affliction
Neck Deep
Palisades
Fit For A King
Crossfaith
Rotting Out
Escape The Fate
Being As An Ocean
Silverstein
Mallory Knox
Drama Club
False Puppet (07/23-08/08)
A+ Dropouts (06/19-07/03)
Man Overboard
Citizen
Carousel Kings (07/14-08/08)
Emarosa (06/19-07/12)
New Years Day
Set It Off
Kenneths
MC Lars
The Ascot Royals (07/01-07/08)
Rivers Monroe (07/04-07/21)
Svetlanas (07/29-08/08)
The Karma Killers
Mod Sun
Bebe Rexha
PUP (07/01-07/29)
Youth In Revolt
Juliet Sims
Koo Koo Kanga Roo
Metro Station
Never Shout Never
Night Argent (06/20-06/28, 08/01-08/08)
Riff Raff
Candy Hearts
BoyMeetsWorld
Ho99o9
Major League
Motion City Soundtrack (06/19-06/21)
While She Sleeps
Hands Like Houses
Le Castle Vania
Have Mercy
Our Last Night
ChrisB
PVRIS
Alvarez Kings
Moose Blood
New Beat Fund
Jule Vera
Seaway
This Wild Life
The Dirty Nil
Born Cages
The Wonder Years
Icon For Hire
Baby Baby
Matchbook Romance (06/19-07/11)
The Relapse Symphony (06/19-07/12)
Black Boots
M4Sonic
As It Is
Night Riots
Transit
Beautiful Bodies
Splitbreed
Handguns
Kosha Dillz
Alive Like Me
Family Force 5
Lee Corey Oswald
Trophy Eyes
‘Acoustic Basement Stage‘:
Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties
American Opera
Brian Marquis
Buttons
Grey Gordon
Koji
Meghann Wright
Onward, etc.
PVRIS (dates TBD)
SayWeCanFly
Speak Low If You Speak Love (07/09-07/14)
Transit
‘Comedy Tent‘:
Grant Cotter
Beth Stelling (06/19-06/26)
Chase Bernstein (06/27-07/12)
Dave Ross (07/01-07/12)
Eli Olsberg
Eric Schwartz (07/26-08/08)
Sammy Obeid (06/19-06/28)
Sandy Danto (07/26-08/08)


Attila, Memphis May Fire, Miss May I Rumored For Vans Warped Tour 2015


vans warped tour logo

A recent advertisement from the August 7th Portland, OR stop of the 2015 Vans Warped Tour hinted a few more possible artists who have yet to be announced. Those artists in question include:

Attila
Memphis May Fire
Miss May I
Never Shout Never
Pierce The Veil
We Came As Romans
Beartooth
Senses Fail
Drama Club
False Puppet
Julie Vera
Knuckle Puck
Svetlanas

Prior to this leak, the newest additions include:
Silverstein
Mallory Knox
Man Overboard
Citizen
Carousel Kings (07/14-08/08)

Artists announced to date for the festival include:
Asking Alexandria
Black Veil Brides
Blessthefall
Hundredth
I Killed The Prom Queen
’68
Sirens And Sailors (07/14-08/08)
Slaves (07-14-08/08)
The Amity Affliction
Neck Deep
Palisades
Fit For A King
Crossfaith
Rotting Out
Escape The Fate
Being As An Ocean
Emarosa (06/19-07/12)
New Years Day
Set It Off
Kenneths
MC Lars
The Karma Killers
Mod Sun
Bebe Rexha
PUP (07/01-07/29)
Youth In Revolt
Juliet Sims
Koo Koo Kanga Roo
Metro Station
Night Argent (06/20-06/28, 08/01-08/08)
Riff Raff
Candy Hearts
BoyMeetsWorld
Ho99o9
Major League
Motion City Soundtrack (06/19-06/21)
While She Sleeps
Hands Like Houses
Le Castle Vania
Have Mercy
Our Last Night
ChrisB
PVRIS
Alvarez Kings
Moose Blood
New Beat Fund
Jule Vera
Seaway
This Wild Life
The Dirty Nil
Born Cages
The Wonder Years
Icon For Hire
Baby Baby
Matchbook Romance (06/19-07/11)
The Relapse Symphony (06/19-07/12)
Black Boots
M4Sonic
As It Is
Night Riots
Transit
Beautiful Bodies
Splitbreed
Handguns
Kosha Dillz
Alive Like Me
Family Force 5
Lee Corey Oswald
Trophy Eyes
‘Acoustic Basement Stage‘:
Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties
American Opera
Brian Marquis
Buttons
Grey Gordon
Koji
Meghann Wright
Onward, etc.
PVRIS (dates TBD)
SayWeCanFly
Speak Low If You Speak Love (07/09-07/14)
Transit


New Found Glory, Life Of Agony, Biohazard, H20, etc Confirmed For Southeast Beast Fest 2015


southeast beast fest

Southeast Beast Festival 2015 will be held April 4-5, 2015 at Aqua in Jacksonville, FL. Here is a list of confirmed acts so far:

New Found Glory (playing “Sticks & Stones“)
Life Of Agony
Biohazard
H2O
letlive.
Cro-Mags
Citizen
Rotting Out
Earth Crisis (playing “Destroy The Machines“)
Defeater
A Loss For Words (final appearance)
Artifex Pereo
Bad Luck
The Banner
Boys No Good
CDC
Crime In Stereo
Cross Me
Fireworks
Gideon
GhostxShip
Incited
King Nine
Old Wounds
The Orphan The Poet
This Wild Life
Ture Love
Turnover
Turnstile
Villains
Wisdom In Chains
Xerxes