For its inaugural year in Douglas Park, Riot Fest continued to grow and expand, while still retaining its formula of legacy acts mixed with eclectic and emerging artists. Despite the change of location, Riot Fest felt right at home in its new digs, taking advantage of an open layout that made for easy navigation from one stage to another. There was a little rain and a fair amount of mud, but those that weren’t deterred by the elements were treated to a surplus of memorable sets from a genuinely diverse collection of bands. We recapped some of our favorite moments and observations from what was an eventful, action-packed weekend. Written by Jamie Ludwig, (JL) and Bill Denker, (BD). Photos by Katie Hovland.
Rise Against released their seventh full-length last month, entitled The Black Market. The album finds the band embracing a rekindled sense of energy, resulting in especially personal lyrics and a range of newfound influences. We spoke with bassist Joe Principe shortly after The Black Market came out and discussed how it was written, its lyrics and its recording process. We also talked about the band’s early days, their continued success, future plans and more. Continue Reading…
Dead Ending is a punk rock supergroup of sorts, featuring bassist Joe Principe, (Rise Against) drummer Derek Grant, (Alkaline Trio) guitarist Jeff Dean, (The Bomb, Noise By Numbers, All Eyes West) and singer Vic Bondi, (Articles of Faith). We spoke with Grant, who kindly agreed to the band’s first-ever interview, and discussed how the group got together, what they sound like and where their name comes from. We also talked about recording at Million Yen Studios, their newly formed partnership with Alternative Tentacles and some of Dead Ending’s future plans. Continue Reading…