Surfer Blood are from Florida. They’re not a punk as some of the others, and they mix in a bit of surf guitar. Kinda like a softer more melodic poor man’s Pixies. But a great sound and might be a good soft set between harder acts. Or a prime choice for an aftershow.
Riot Fest 2019 Countdown 11 Weeks – Bob Mould
This week, a couple more of my top 5 must sees for Riot Fest. And my #1 must see (there are a couple #1s) at Riot Fest. Getting back to our wheelhouse after the oddities of Die Antwoord and The HU. The man that fronted one of the most influential punk/post-punk band to a couple that are going now.
Bob Mould is a bucketlist see for me. Husker Du was one of my favorites. And their album Flip Your Wig is one of my top 20 albums of all time. Bob Mould fronted them and with their drummer, Grant Hart, dying a few years ago this is the closest I can ever get to seeing Husker Du. But Bob Mould did a lot more. His solo stuff and his band Sugar were all over ‘HFS in the 90s, and it’s good. The setlist he’s played recently includes all of it. And the band he’s put together is a three piece a la Husker Du. They rock like any punk three piece needs to. And his current drummer? From Superchunk (“Slack Motherf….er” and “Skip Steps 1 and 3”); another fave that I saw at Coachella most recently (a banner day also included Frank Turner, Toy Dolls, and Motorhead). Bob Mould has a new album out and is doing a solo tour but I hope he brings his band and plays some Husker Du.
Riot Fest 2019 Countdown 12 Weeks Out – The HU
They scared me the first time I heard them. And was more scared after seeing the videos. The HU are from Mongolia, ride Harleys, play traditional Mongolian instruments that have been plugged in, and sing about Ghengis Khan. Whaaaat? They only have a couple of songs available and have their debut album scheduled to drop just before Riot Fest. So the sample size is small. But, like above, just watch and figure it out. And try to tell me they would be boring.
Riot Fest 2019 Countdown 12 Weeks Out – Die Antwoord
I don’t know how to describe Die Antwoord. Maybe just go straight to the videos and see yourself. Are they hip hop? rap? EMD? Punk? I don’t think any label works. They’re a duo from South Africa. That already is different. One’s a model and one goes by the name “Ninja”. There are conflicting accounts of whether they are a couple, but the do have a kid together. This could be a Ministry-like set of WTF is that let’s get out of here. Or if could be a Slaves-like wtf. Just watch them and try to tell me they wouldn’t be interesting.
Riot Fest 2019 Countdown 12 Weeks – Bikini Kill
Going forward, rather than one long post on Wednesdays I wll try to post smaller previews each day Tues, Weds, and Thurs. Same stuff, just hopefully easier to digest.
This week we’ve got an eclectic mix for Riot Fest. Some Riot Grrrl punks and a couple of international acts that defy any categorization (but I will try). But these are all acts that could scare you, but are so different that they have to be seen. Certainly a couple of my top 5 must sees.
Bikini Kill are groundbreakers. They carried along the Joan Jett attitude that girls could rock. Certaily soon to be a favorite of KJ. They’re kinda the poster child of the Riot Grrrl movement of women fronted punk bands. But don’t compare Potty Mouth to them (link; at 17:10). Bikini Kill are from Olympia, WA and formed in the early 90s. Ian Mackaye of Fugazi and Minor Threat fame produced their first album, which alone legitimized them. But they rocked regardless. They broke up just years later but their legend continued. They recently reformed with a new guitarist as an all female foursome. As usual, Riot Fest hosts a big reunion (Jawbreaker, Replacements, Misfits) and they are as big as any just by who they influenced.