The Power Of The Riff Festival Invades Los Angeles This Weekend, Pre-Party Tonight


 

Los Angeles is the site of The Power Of The Riff Festival this weekend, including a sold-out pre-party tonight celebrating all things uber heavy and underground. Continue reading


Video: Obliterations – Scapegoat, Tour Begins Tomorrow


Obliterations, Photo by John Mourlas

Obliterations, Photo by John Mourlas

Southern California hardcore act Obliterations unveiled a new video today for their song ‘Scapegoat’. Watch the video below:

Annotation Films’ Ian Mccullogh directed and edited the clip, which is meant to be a commentary on class warfare, poverty, and social injustice. Still touring behind last year’s Poison Everything album (Southern Lord, Obliterations kick off a summer tour tomorrow night which sees them open for Refused in Brooklyn, NY tomorrow night, and then hitting the road with White Lung:

White-Lung-Obliterations


Obliterations Tour Dates:

Jun 04 Music Hall Of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY w/ Refused

Jun 05 Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY w/ White Lung

Jun 06 The Studio At Webster Hall – New York, NY w/ Give, Impact

Jun 08 DC9 – Washington DC w/ White Lung

Jun 09 Rumba Café – Columbus, OH w/ White Lung

Jun 10 The Demo – St. Louis, MO w/ White Lung

Jun 11 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN w/ White Lung

Jun 12 Underground Lounge – Chicago, IL

Jun 13 PJ’s Lager House – Detroit, MI w/ White Lung

Jun14 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH w/ White Lung

Jun 15 Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY w/ White Lung

Jun 16 Great Scott – Allston, MA w/ White Lung

Jun 17 Bar Le Ritz PDB – Montreal, QC w/ White Lung

Jun 18 Ottawa Explosion Weekend – Ottawa, ON w/ White Lung

Jun 20 Lee’s Place – Toronto, ON @ NXNE w/ Girl Band, Mission Of Burma, California X, Grooms

Obliterations on Facebook

Obliterations at Bandcamp

Obliterations on Twitter.com

Southern Lord online

Southern Lord on Bandcamp

Southern Lord on Facebook

Southern Lord on Twitter


Obliterations Confirm New Tour Dates With White Lung


Photo Credit: John Mourlas

Photo Credit: John Mourlas

Los Angeles punk/hardcore outfit Obliterations have added new dates to their upcoming tour run with White Lung on select dates. They are supporting their debut album Poison Everything, out now via Southern Lord.

Jun 06: The Studio At Webster Hall – New York, NY
Jun 08: DC9 – Washington DC (w/ White Lung)
Jun 09: Rumba Café – Columbus, OH (w/ White Lung)
Jun 10: The Demo – St. Louis, MO (w/ White Lung)
Jun 11: 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN (w/ White Lung)
Jun 12: Underground Lounge – Chicago, IL
Jun 13: PJ’s Lager House – Detroit, MI (w/ White Lung)
Jun 14: Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH (w/ White Lung)
Jun 15: Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY (w/ White Lung)
Jun 16: Great Scott – Allston, MA (w/ White Lung)
Jun 17: Bar Le Ritz PDB – Montreal, QC (w/ White Lung)
Jun 18: Ottawa Explosion Weekend – Ottawa, ON (w/ White Lung)
Jun 20: Lee’s Place (NXNE) – Toronto, ON (w/ Girl Band, Mission Of Burma, California X, Grooms)

Obliterations on Facebook
Obliterations on Twitter
Southern Lord on Bandcamp
Southern Lord on Facebook
Southern Lord on Twitter


North By Northeast 2015 Announce First Round Of Artists Performing


nxne 2015

The 2015 North By Northeast Festival has announced their first round of names of artists to perform. More names are expected to be announced but these are the first batch to be announced.The event is being held on June 17-21, 2015.

A Place To Bury Strangers (Brooklyn, NY, United States)
Action Bronson (Queens, NY, United States)
Aidan Knight (Victoria, BC, Canada)
Alice Glass (DJ Set) (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Amen Dunes (New York City, NY, United States)
Anamai (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Angel Olsen (Asheville, NC, United States)
Baths (Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Best Coast (Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Betty Who (Sydney, Australia)
Bishop Nehru (Rockland County, NY, United States)
Blonde Redhead (New York City, NY, United States)
Cathedrals (San Francisco, CA, United States)
Cauldron (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Coliseum (Louisville, KY, United States)
Container (Providence, RI, United States)
Deafheaven (San Francisco, CA, United States)
Dilly Dally (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Dinner (Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Glass Animals (Oxford, UK)
The Gories (Detroit, MI, United States)
HEALTH (Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Heems (Queens, NY, United States)
Hundred Waters (Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Ibeyi (Paris, France)
Iceage (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Jacco Gardner (Hoorn, Netherlands)
Jessica Pratt (Los Angeles, CA, United States)
K.Flay (San Francisco, CA, United States)
Kate Tempest (London, UK)
Liturgy (Brooklyn, NY, United States)
Lower Dens (Baltimore, MD, United States)
Lydia Ainsworth (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Majical Cloudz (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Mise en Scene (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)
The New Pornographers (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
No Joy (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Obliterations (Los Angeles, CA, California)
Odonis Odonis (Toronto, ON, Canada)
OM (San Francisco, CA, United States)
Pentagram (Alexandria, VA, United States)
Rae Sremmurd (Tupelo, MS, United States)
Real Estate (Brooklyn, NY, United States)
Ryley Walker (Chicago, IL, United States)
San Fermin (Brooklyn, NY, United States)
Sannhet (Brooklyn, NY, United States)
Son Lux (New York City, NY, United States)
Tink (Chicago, IL, United States)
Ty Dolla $ign (Los Angeles, CA, United States)
UNiiQU3 (Newark, NJ, United States)
USA Out Of Vietnam (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Vince Staples (Long Beach, CA, United States)
White Lung (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Zola Jesus (United States)


Obliterations Confirm June East Coast Dates


Photo Credit: Adam Murray

Photo Credit: Adam Murray

Los Angeles extremists Obliterations have booked an upcoming East Coast run in June with White Lung. They are supporting their debut release Poison Everything, out now via Southern Lord and was recorded by producer Chris Owens (Lords, Coliseum, Young Widows) at Dave Grohl‘s Studio 606, mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge, High On Fire, Black Breath) at God City Studio, and mastered by Brad Boatright (Tragedy, Integrity, Sleep) at Audiosiege. Watch their Rick Rodney (Strife) directed music video for “Mind Ain’t Right” below.

Jun 05: TBA – Brooklyn, NY (w/ White Lung)
Jun 06: The Studio At Webster Hall – New York, NY
Jun 08: DC9 – Washington DC (w/ White Lung)
Jun 09: Rumba Café – Columbus, OH (w/ White Lung)
Jun 10: The Demo – St. Louis, MO (w/ White Lung)
Jun 11: 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN (w/ White Lung)
Jun 13: PJ’s Lager House – Detroit, MI (w/ White Lung)
Jun 14: Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH (w/ White Lung)
Jun 15: Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY (w/ White Lung)
Jun 16: Great Scott – Allston, MA (w/ White Lung)
Jun 17: Bar Le Ritz PDB – Montreal, QC (w/ White Lung)
Jun 18: Ottawa Explosion Weekend – Ottawa, ON
Jun 20: NXNE – Toronto, ON

Obliterations on Facebook
Obliterations on Twitter
Southern Lord on Bandcamp
Southern Lord on Facebook
Southern Lord on Twitter


Obliterations Release Upcoming Tour Dates


obliterations sick feeling tour

Obliterations have announced upcoming live dates, which are posted below.

Feb 11: Great Scott – Boston, MA (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 12: L’Agitee – Quebec City, QC (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 13: Turbo Haus – Montreal, QC (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 14: Hard Luck – Toronto, ON (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 15: Call The Office – London, ON (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 16: Magic Stick Lounge – Detroit, MI (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 17: Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 18: Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 19: Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 20: Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY (w/ Sick Feeling)
Feb 21: Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA (w/ Sick Feeling)
May 29-31: Temples Festival – Bristol, UK (w/ Converge, Sunn O))), Nails)

Stream Poison Everything here, and watch the official video for “Mind Ain’t Right” here.

Unifying current and ex-members of Black Mountain, Saviours and Night Horse, OBLITERATIONS recorded Poison Everything with producer Chris Owens (Lords, Coliseum, Young Widows) at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606, had it mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge, High On Fire, Black Breath) at God City Studio, and mastered by Brad Boatright (Tragedy, Integrity, Sleep) at Audiosiege, with nearly a half-hour of grating, hardcore punk charged by a seemingly bottomless wealth of antagonistic energy; prime fodder for fans of The Stooges, MC5, Laughing Hyenas, Black Flag and Poison Idea.


Southwest Terror Fest III Part III: Live from Various Venues, Tuscon AZ


SWTF 2014

 

The Druids of Doom Cometh, The Final Night

Sunday, October 19th, 4:00 PM. Sundays have a very distinct feel to them. Many a song and poem have been written about this undefinable quality, and while there are many perspectives on exactly what that might be, there appears to be a thread that strings most of them together. That is, Sundays feel the like the end of something, both literally in terms of it being the last day of the week, but also in a more esoteric way. So when afternoon on the last day of Southwest Terror Fest rolled around, that feeling of ending was very evident. Downtown had a lazy feel to its movement, no one was in much of a hurry. The scene in and around the Rialto Theatre was a bit more upbeat, what with staff and bands loading in gear and attending to all of the other behind the scenes minutiae that make an event such as Terror Fest run.

IMG_5033sex prisoner

When the venue opened and the fans gathered for one final stretch of time with the final four bands, the mood was anything but lazy. Tucson hardcore stalwarts Sex Prisoner got a bit of a mosh pit going with their raw and abrasive tunes, and Obliterations took their cue from that beginning by delivering a smashing set of blistering songs made from a coarse blend of Black Flag and Black Sabbath. Well into their ripping set, the vocalist for Obliterations took a moment during one song to remark that “We’re not finishing this song until everyone gets on the fucking stage!” He then proceeded to help drag the front line mosh participants onto the stage until it was crowded to the nines, and then they finished the fucking song, complete with a circle pit swirling all around the stage. This was another one of those highlights from the fest that will be remembered for some time to come. To see a band perform in the midst of such non-choreographed madness with effortless ease is pretty damned neat.

IMG_54091obliterations

 

Following the fury of Obliterations, Baptists, hailing from Vancouver, Canada, put the finishing touches of power and speed onto a night already productive of much along those lines. With crusty hardcore and a plethora of D-beats, the band commanded attention throughout their nonstop, pummeling assault. The band as a whole is excellent at what they do, but drummer Nick Yacyshyn is the most absolutely crucial element to their sound. His incredible energy, lightning quick fills, and his fresh take on punk/hardcore drumming is something that needs to be noted for posterity’s sake.

IMG_5766baptists

 

Once Baptists were done playing, things got a little tense and anxious around the venue. Everyone knew what was next. Here it was, finally about to happen…Sunn O))), live and with the full glory of the Omega Quartet. What may not have been apparent to all during the evening could not be overlooked any longer once all of the gear from Baptists was removed from the stage. The gigantic rig of cabs and amps, so crucial to Sunn’s sound, had been an imposing presence on the backline all day and night. After some tantalizing amount of time, the conditions were finally just right for Sunn to do what they do best. As the house lights fell and the fog machines began to fill the entire venue up with copious amounts of the cloyingly sweet stuff, a series of eerie horror movie music kept going on and on while the dense crowd awaited the coming of the drone. It seems as if Sunn O))) were messing around with the crowd and delaying their appearance with a few extra teases. Finally, when the robed ones walked out from stage right and left, shrouded in fog and purplish blue light, it was time to burn.

IMG_62481SunnO

It is nearly impossible to accurately relay just how monumentally insane the sound of a Sunn performance is to someone who has not heard and felt it. The sheer output of energy from all of their gear floods the senses, shakes the internal organs, rattles the roots of teeth, and even vibrates the marrow within bones. It feels like a rift in reality is going to be torn wide open and a doorway to another dimension opened. As the band is projecting out this incredible mix of tones, they look as if they are invoking the rites of some occult ritual. Between the hooded robes and bladed mirror costumes, the raising of hands and guitars to the sky, or the overly reverent way in which a note is played and sustained, Sunn live is not a concert, but a true exhibition of theatrical performance art. It only grew more grandiose once vocalist Attila Csihar (Mayhem) joined the rest of the band on stage and added the throaty distinction of his voice to the cacophony. Watching the evolution of the set from one point to the next was almost timeless in a sense, as if a bubble of some otherworldly stasis was created around the Rialto Theatre for who knows how long. The set was more of one gigantic piece of music with some obvious composition behind it, but otherwise completely unconventional and unlike anything else on earth. When it finally ended and normal reality came back into focus, the feeling was probably not unlike that of someone who had just been through the experience a tornado or hurricane churning through their life, albeit a very slowly moving one. Completely surreal and unforgettable, the druids of doom that call themselves Sunn met and exceeded all of the hype that had come attached with their name. The records will never sound the same again after seeing them live. One just does not compare to the other.

So, thus Southwest Terror Fest III: The Western Front came to an appropriate end. The entire four days were a joy and the lineup was incredible not just due to the big names, but because it gave the excellent selection of smaller regional bands a chance to show that they too have something to offer and can hold their own alongside the veteran acts on the bill. There were no obvious points of conflict among the crowd, no major technical issues, or any other glaring problems that can make some festivals more of a hassle to deal with than is necessary. The only real gripe was the sound and the cramped conditions over at The District, which were unavoidable realities due to the design limitations of the building, but tolerable enough to be only a minor concern. This year was definitely the best one yet, by far. A huge leap was taken in streamlining the lineup to a “quality over quantity” way of thinking and by securing the historic and professionally run Rialto Theatre as the main venue. So what will they do in October of 2015? You never can tell, but after the success of this year, it seems that the only way to go is bigger, louder, and even more terrifically terrifying.

 

Southwest Terrorfest on Facebook

Violent Resonance on Facebook

WORDS: RYAN CLARK

PHOTOS: VALERIE LITTLEJOHN


Southwest Terror Fest III Part II: Live from Various Venues, Tuscon AZ


swtf_flyer

(Editor’s Note:) For the second year in a row Ghost Cult is pleased to bring you coverage of the premier doom, sludge, and avant-garde heavy music event on American soil west of the Mississippi river. Thanks to our friends at Violent Resonance, we have full coverage of the fest from the eyes, ears and lenses of these fine purveyors of heaviness. This post focuses on days 2 and 3 of the festival. The final chapter will appear soon, so stay tuned)

 

The Second Day: One Fest, Two Venues

Downtown Tucson may not be as large and sprawling as similar areas in other cities, but it surely is a bustling place around rush hour at the end of the working week and the beginning of the first full on day of Southwest Terror Fest. Located just a short walk up Congress Street from The District Tavern, the impressive Rialto Theatre, with a capacity of well over one thousand people, is a great venue with a real box office, multiple bars, and a wide stage located beneath a cavernous ceiling in the main part of the building. The marquee on the theatre’s front face was impressive as well, and it could be clearly read from over a hundred yards down the street. Twice as impressive, at least to the gathering masses of black clad fans milling around on the noisy street beneath it, were the names written upon that marquee in large block letters. Goatsnake. Neurosis. Sunn O))). A potent trinity with few equals.

IMG_27041eagle twin

Beneath the projected image of the stark white and black logo of Southwest Terror Fest, an upside down cross imposed over the drawn shape of the state of Arizona, the stage was set for one hell of a night. Kicking in some teeth with their rumbling sludge grooves, Tucson based Godhunter got the show rolling and were followed by Utah’s doom duo, Eagle Twin. Laying down devastating waves of heavy riffs and off kilter song structures, the band simply nailed it with an intense energy one could feel out in the crowd. Even more on top of their live game, instrumental titans Pelican played a simply perfect set of material from across their catalog. Watching them live was much like observing the internal workings of the cogs and gears of a well-oiled machine running at full power. Relentless and heavier than a thousand pounds of uranium, Pelican was a hard act to follow.

IMG_27881pelican

Perhaps another band may have balked at being that following act, but Goatsnake, Friday night’s headliner, played a set that turned out to be one of the crowning moments of the entire weekend. The heavy, bluesy rock and metal in combination with the soulful vocals and high energy stage antics of vocalist Pete Stahl really set the place on fire. Pete even jumped into the crowd at one point during the performance and sang along with the crowd. It was a special moment for many people who have been huge fans of the band for years, but had never gotten a chance to see them live on the stage or right there in the crowd with them until that Friday evening.

IMG_33571goatsnake

With the main show of the day at the Rialto Theatre ending high up on the lofty point carved out by Goatsnake’s performance, the crowd began drifting out of the venue with smiles and cheers as they headed down the street to check out the after show at The District. Another diverse lineup awaited their ears, with the doomy jams of Spiritual Shepherd inaugurating night two at the second venue. Destroyer of Light from Austin, TX brought some upbeat, driving stoner influenced rhythms, and Phoenix act Take Over and Destroy sounded like the blackened metal version of a horror film score with some gothic elements thrown into the mix. Closing out the after show, The Atlas Moth broke out the keyboards and lasers as they built up an incredible, cinematic atmosphere of sound that is all their own. A great band with great studio albums, The Atlas Moth is even better live, and seems to be growing more powerful each time they emerge from the creative cocoon of an album cycle.

IMG_34001takeover and destroy

 

IMG_3598TAM

Friday night could have been a standalone event and it would have been worth the admission price all by itself, but it was just one day out of four. That seemed to be the unspoken, pervasive thought that was gleaming in the eyes of many attendees at the end of the after show. It was only the beginning.

 

Nght Three: Moving Mountains with Sound That Defies Boundaries

IMG_3808sorxe

Saturday,: Perhaps the most anticipated night of Southwest Terror Fest began at the Rialto Theatre with impressive performances from Sorxe and Author & Punisher. Sorxe, who hail from Phoenix, AZ, play a style of metal that is hard to classify. The band seems to wander through the grey areas where styles like doom, grunge, and experimental both intersect and diverge. Regardless of labels, the band split the air with a restrained, properly channeled fury that was quite memorable and a good mood setter for the rest of the show. Next up was one of the most unique and utterly fascinating live performances of recent memory, and it was all due to one man who performs under the name Author & Punisher.

IMG_40141 author and punisher

Using homemade instruments and other electronic equipment, Author & Punisher resembled a maddened cyborg going off on a deafening, industrial music tirade. Simultaneously using all four limbs to keep the beat, to set off sound chains, or to press buttons, plus performing vocals through a strange voice apparatus cannot be an easy feat by any means, but it was pulled off with flying colors and seemingly in sync with the distorted, mind blowing visuals rolling on the projection screen during the performance. Luckily, the audience was given a few minutes of recovery time after this half hour of delectable but sanity wrenching music. The Body, yet another duo amongst the lineup of the event, stabbed the knife right back into the previously opened wound with their stripped down, extremely raw riffs and terrifying screams. The music was pain itself; translated into notes and chords that made one shudder and enjoy them at the same time, it was indeed a complete musical catharsis.

 

Where does one begin in describing what it is like to observe Neurosis in a live setting? How do you relate the feeling of a packed crowd waiting for the band to hit the stage? It simply is not an easy task, but most people would probably agree that Neurosis live is simply awe inspiring and beyond the realm of normal live performance standards. Neurosis becomes their music and draws the crowd into the experience with them. The headlining performance on this Saturday night of Southwest Terror Fest was no exception. Opening with ‘A Sun That Never Sets’, Neurosis tore off the roof with their masterful mix of titanic heaviness and beautiful ambiance. Much like watching a mountain collapsing in slow motion, the music is more an observation of the elements themselves in action. The set list was a very nice mix of older and newer material, and Neurosis weaved it all into a triumphant narrative that had the crowd enraptured for its entirety.

IMG_45191 neurosis

At the concert’s end, there were some people who literally had eyes brimming with tears, including a couple of longtime fans that we spoke with who had never had the chance to see their favorite band live before, and a man who drove over a thousand miles to see the band for the first time and it just happened to be on his birthday. It’s quite a thing to see people living a dream they’ve held for a long time with the hope of it becoming a reality.

 

 

Now nearly 11 PM, the after show at The District kept the music going strong, albeit with more of a “lets party!” attitude versus the soul searching intensity just concluded by Neurosis up the street at the Rialto Theatre. Windmill of Corpses brought the higher tempos of grind and crust to the shindig, and California’s Secrets of the Sky performed their textured, sludgy doom with confidence and precision. Tucson’s own North fit in perfectly right after Secrets of the Sky, continuing the expansive, melodic jams of alternating turbulence and tranquility. The final band of the evening, Primitive Man, were a different story altogether. Hitting the stage with boundless energy, Primitive Man delivered another of the fest’s highlight moments with a set of pure blackened sludge rage. The crowd, though packed tightly in the venue and tired from a long night of music, found a second wind and The District simply detonated into a sort of controlled riot. As it turns out, Primitive Man couldn’t have had a more apt band name at that late hour on Saturday night. They owned and rushed that little stage and no one could have asked for a better finale to a massive day of music and the final after show of the festival at The District.

 

Southwest Terrorfest on Facebook

Violent Resonance on Facebook

WORDS: RYAN CLARK

PHOTOS: VALERIE LITTLEJOHN


Obliterations – Poison Everything


Obliterations-Poison-Everything-cover

 

Emerging like a bile fuelled viper, Poison Everything (Southern Lord) is the third release from Californian based hardcore four piece Obliterations is a frenetic, dirty and all round in-your-face release that doesn’t let go from the second it sinks its teeth into you.

Taking influence from across the hardcore genre, from the organised precise chaos of Converge to the back to basics approach of classic Henry Rollins fronted Black Flag. To even some hooks and groovy riffs that is reminiscent of the first two The Bronx albums.

The record flies by with its run time of just over half an hour with its old school Black Flag influence running through the albums run time from its first second to its last. The Hardcore fury is nicely countered with a large slice of doomy Black Sabbath riffage in the albums more groove orientated moments, as well as its rumbling bass sound which chugs its way through the album making the record sound like a hardcore punk Motorhead.

The vocals are where the album steps into its stride, switching between Henry Rollins snarls and barks to Jacob Bannon shrieks and screams almost instantaneously. Front man Sam James Velde pulls off these vocals seamlessly, sounding as if for his album preparation he gargled glass for a decade beforehand in order to transfer as much savagery into his delivery as possible.

Overall, Poison Everything is a great hardcore release from the band and is easily their best record to date. With all the snarl and aggression that you would want from bands such as Converge or Black Flag, Poison Everything does exactly what the band set out to do. The Sabbath riffs and Motorhead rumble and pace add all new depth to the release and lift it amongst most hardcore releases.

7.0/10

Obliterations on Facebook

DAN O’BRIEN


Southwest Terror Fest III: Live from Various Venues, Tuscon AZ


SWTF 2014

 

96 Hours at The Western Front

(Editor’s Note:) For the second year in a row Ghost Cult is pleased to bring you coverage of the premier doom, sludge, and avant-garde heavy music event on American soil west of the Mississippi river. Thanks to our friends at Violent Resonance, we have full coverage of the fest from the eyes, ears and lenses of these fine purveyors of heaviness. We seriously take little notice of the competition (other websites you cheat on us with) here at Ghost Cult, but if you love this great noise we call metal in its many forms, check out their sick in-depth interviews, and killer reviews. Thanks you guys!

 

 

Part I:

A First Taste of Doom in the Desert

As dusk fell over Tucson, AZ on Thursday, October 16th, the third and thus far most prestigious iteration of the Southwest Terror Fest commenced with a whole new look and feel to it. Having moved further into the colorful warrens of the downtown area and expanded to two venues this year, The District Tavern and the historic Rialto Theatre, it felt as if this festival had achieved something admirable even before the first note of the first chord from the first band was played. Downtown Tucson possesses the kaleidoscopic atmosphere of many different types of art and culture mixing together in a melting pot that provides the sustenance of entertainment for people of every stripe, and for four days this month, the most widely imbibed audio brews were the twenty four various shades and vintages of the bands who brought the dark and heavy vibes of punk and metal to that scenery.

 

IMG_2095 Conquer Worm

Much like the precursor shock to a devastating quake, the fest kickoff show at The District Tavern packed enough of a wallop to send one sprawling around the room a bit, but not enough to blow the place apart. Local Tucsonans Conquer Worm began the night with their brand of minimalist doom and were followed by Twingiant, the Phoenix, AZ based purveyors of roaring galactic sludge. In between these sets of ear shattering heaviness came another new aspect of the festival this year: the guerrilla troubadour known as Amigo The Devil. Performing his first of several impromptu sets of what can best be described as acoustic “murder folk”; Amigo hopped up onto the bar with a banjo and serenaded the tightly packed crowd with some tongue in cheek tales of woe. This brought a nice new element to the event, by breaking up the usual cycle of one band playing, a set change, and another band playing.

Twignant

The final two bands of the kickoff show, Oryx and -(16)-, ended the first night of the fest on a pretty high note. Oryx, a two person psychedelic doom crew from New Mexico, brought a depth and intensity far out of proportion to the number of band members, and veteran sludge metal practitioners -(16)- riled the crowd up with an impressive set that showed they haven’t lost any steam after twenty-two years on the scene.

IMG_2276 Orix

The long, narrow dive bar shtick of The District brought the music up close and personal, and despite the cramped conditions at times, the environment and music transported the crowd to another place of pure enjoyment. Without looking out the front windows of the venue, someone could even imagine that this show was taking place in a tucked away alley of Manhattan or Chicago. The sound was fair to good considering the dimensions of the venue, but this was more than made up by the proximity of the stage to the crowd: neck to neck and about as personal as it can get.

IMG_23372 -16-

Overall, the first evening of the fest was satisfying and the mood of concert goers was one of anticipation for the upcoming days of the event. The sense of community and diversity among the attendees was fascinating as well. One could hear accents from all across the Unites States and the world. There were fans from Germany, Israel, and France right there in the desert town of Tucson, AZ. Build it and they will come, indeed.

 

PART II- Monday

 

Southwest Terrorfest on Facebook

Violent Resonance on Facebook

WORDS: RYAN CLARK

PHOTOS: VALERIE LITTLEJOHN