Observations, Musings, and Lessons Learned mostly in the world of Punk, Ska, Alternative, Metal, and just plain Rock and Roll. Music with guitars…mostly
This week’s need no introduction. Two from Boston, two that are touring together, one with bagpipes, one with a singer who works for Jimmy Kimmel, and one of our Surf City Blitz favorites. Plus one has a new song about a member of The Clash stealing pudding from a former member of Flogging Molly. Really. All on Saturday which sets it up for an epic day or a cluster of conflicts…can we get the Cock Sparrer-Pennywise-Rancid run on the Rise Stage from ’19, or do we get the Rancid v Descendents inexcuseable conflict from ’19?
You probably know the story. Sublime, one of the most popular of the nineties third wave of ska and punk disband after their singer, Brad Nowell, dies. They form Long Beach Dub Allstars. Then they reform Sublime with a new singer and get sued by the estate of Brad Nowell and rename themselves. The drummer leaves and they are left with just the original bassist. But they are good. And in some ways a totally different band than Sublime. But they still pay homage to the Sublime catalog. So get ready for Santeria and What I Got. Oh, and they’re tight with Dirty Heads.
Dirty Heads – Saturday
Could be the antidote after getting aggro in the pit. They came up in Orange County about the same time as many of our punk friends, like Offspring. But they took the reggae/ska route.
Gogol Bordello – Saturday
Not sure how to describe them; they really have to be experienced. Claim to be from NYC but they are international. Their lead singer is Eastern European with a heavy accent. And they are huge; there must be a dozen people on stage. And very frenetic. Plus have an accordion; how cool is that. We’ve seen them before at Lolla on the bandshell stage but were far away. This is a show that needs to be intimate. They’ve done aftershows before and would be a great late night destination.
There is always at least one. One band that you had never heard of before the festival but leave as a favorite….for me over the last eight years it’s been Grinderman, Frank Turner, Catfish, Wolf Alice, Ghost, Slaves, Drakulas. Prediction. This year will be Les Savy Fav. Check out the video below. And if you don’t have time just watch the first couple of minutes to get a sense of the intro, skip to about the five minute mark as they jump into the music and then just skip around a bit. Crazy. Cuckoo. And would be an amazing show on the treed side stage or as an aftershow. They play Saturday which makes me nervous about all the possible conflicts with some of my standards. But put them at the Cobra at midnight and it’s on.
One of the godfathers of American Punk. Really one of the first California punk bands with ties to Black Flag and Bad Religion and influencing a gazillion others. Three of the four original members (missing the drummer) planned a reunion in 2020 to celebrate their 40th year but COVID-19 screwed that up. So we got them reuniting in 2021. Not sure how they will be but it’s a must see to at least kiss the ring of these punk gods. 95% of the Riot Fest lineup likely was inspired by them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2IBM7ovgvQ\
The Lawrence Arms – Friday
Chicago punk rock. Named after their apartment complex. Been on both Fat Mikes Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph, which gives them cred. Got kicked off the Warped Tour and banned for life for criticizing it on stage during a show. They made some good points though. Near the top of my must see list. Would be a great aftershow on Saturday.
The Bronx – Saturday
From LA, hardcore. Also have another band that plays mariachi music called Mariachi El Bronx. Saw them open for Pennywise at the Marquee (video below). And are touring with Rancid and Dropkick. So they have a punk street cred.
Bad news last week as one of my early favorites, PUP, dropped from the lineup. Rumor is that Canadian bands are having a hard time getting in and out of the country. Sucks. And if the rumor is true a couple more may drop.
Faith No More – Saturday
Alright, you remember them for the “Epic” video with the fish dying at the end, right? You may have heard them before with “We Care a Lot”. I remember that on MTV 120 Minutes and it was on a 120 Minutes Compilation CD too. Oh yeah; they were pioneers of funk metal. I don’t think I had heard anything like that before. At least not mainstream on MTV. So we now know who to blame for Limp Bizkit. Most of the original lineup is intact with the biggest change being their lead singer. Mike Patton joined them between “We Care a Lot” and “Epic” so he is really the only singer I really ever knew. They broke up for a while and reunited about 10 years ago so this is a little bit of a reunion. Could be interesting. They do some non-sequitur-like covers every once in a while.
Mr. Bungle – Sunday
I have no idea what to expect from them. “Experimental” rock is the best description. They can go heavy metal or disco or between. This was Mike Patton’s band before (and during) he joined Faith No More. They have a crazy fan base that may know what to expect but I can’t tell. Rumor was they would only play Riot Fest if they could play immediately before Devo. So we’ll see about that. They were broken up for 20 years and reunited in early 2020 for a reunion that lasted three shows before COVID. Scott Ian (Anthrax) and Dave Lombardo (Slayer and Suicidal) joined the band. I’d love to see them join them at RF but who know post COVID. If it’s any indication of what we’ll see, they’re reunion shows covered hardcore and metal bands like Slayer, Circle Jerks, The Exploited, and Corrosion of Conformity. Plus some Mr. Rogers (Won’t you be my neighbor) and Seals and Crofts. Again, don’t know what to expect.
Coheed and Cambia – Friday
Well prog rock is alive and well with these guys. They put out concept albums based on science fiction comic books. And you can’t tell me you don’t hear Geddy Lee when you listen. There has to be some 2112 in there somewhere. But they look like a fun live act. I’ve seen their name on many festival posters and they have a big following. Might be worth checking out. I’m jealous of the lead singer’s hair.
