Louder Than Life Festival Spotlight: CROWN LANDS [Videos]

Welcome back to our ongoing series of LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019 artist profiles, our weekly guide through the lineup of acts who’ll take the stage at Louisville, Kentucky’s Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center September 27-29 in what’s sure to be one of the biggest concert events of the year. This week, we’re taking a closer look at Canadian psych-blues outfit CROWN LANDS.

One of the bands jump-starting LOUDER THAN LIFE on Friday is CROWN LANDS, a duo hailing from Oshawa, Ontario. For the past four years, Cody Bowles (drums/vocals) and Kevin Comeau (guitars/keyboards/pedals) have been expertly crafting hard-stomping rock that finds the sweet spot between WOLFMOTHER, THE WHITE STRIPES, and RUSH while belying the seeming limitations of their streamlined blueprint. Songs like “Being Right” and “Mountain” retain a touch of garage rawness while still sounding like widescreen epics, and hepped-up jumpers like “Misery” and “Mantra” have a fair bit of glitter encrusted on their shitkicker boots. Continue reading

Louder Than Life Festival Spotlight: DED [Official Videos]

Welcome back to our ongoing series of LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019 artist profiles, our weekly guide through the lineup of acts who’ll take the stage at Louisville, Kentucky’s Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center September 27-29 in what’s sure to be one of the biggest concert events of the year. This week, we’re checking out DED.*

If you haven’t had a chance to hear or see the band DED you have truly been hiding from all the good things in the world. The band released their Fred Durst directed video for “Anti-Everything” in March of 2017 and it was like a haymaker to the metal world waking us up from the same old generic regurgitated metal we have had for years. DED had a fresh new sound that re-awakened the nu-metal scene and had everyone screaming for more. The band formed in Phoenix, AZ in 2016 with the goal of putting listeners on edge. They have achieved various other goals in the process as well. The band has been one of the best up and coming bands of the past couple years and has helped revive the nu-metal scene that once was considered endangered. Over the course of their first year they have took the music scene by storm with their first two singles. They were collecting fans from all over the world even prior to their album dropping. Their live performances and EP led to a quick amount of success including shows with Beartooth, Atreyu, Every Time I Die, and then a massive tours with Korn and Stone Sour. They will be one of the must see bands at this years Louder Than Life Festival performing on Sunday September 29th. Of course the lads are no stranger to festival stages and have previously played Carolina Rebellion and played Epicenter’s inaugural year this year, Chicago Open Air, Shiprocked, Rock Allegiance, Revolution Rock Fest, Rocklahoma, Aftershock, Knotfest, and they are also Louder Than Life veterans after performing on the festival in 2017.

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Monster Outbreak Tour Feat. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Beaches Announces Dates!

Launched in 2011, the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour showcases the biggest new names in music each year amidst their culture-impacting, breakthrough moment. The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour is the largest national touring in the club & theater space, recognized as the ultimate tastemaker in the live arena, and currently consists of five annual music tours (Hip Hop, EDM, Rock, Country, College) and one annual comedy tour. The tour finds bands on the verge of becoming headlining breakthrough artists and gives them that extra push. Notable alumni of the Outbreak tour have been Post Malone, 21 Savage, Kane Brown, Mike Shinoda, and Asking Alexandria. Continue reading

Bourbon & Beyond Festival Spotlight: BLACKBERRY SMOKE [Official Videos]

 

Welcome back to our ongoing series of Bourbon & Beyond 2019 artist profiles, our weekly guide through the lineup of acts who’ll take the stage at Louisville, Kentucky’s Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center September 20-22nd in what’s sure to be one of the biggest concert events of the year. This week, we’re taking a closer look at Blackberry Smoke.

Blackberry Smoke is one of the up and coming bands to play this year at the Bourbon and Beyond Festival. Bourbon and Beyond has a new home this year. It is still in Louisville, Kentucky of course, but a different festival grounds. This new location is the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo. The former location, Champions Park, was flooded last year and day 2 of Bourbon and Beyond was cancelled along with the whole Louder Than Life festival. Bourbon and Beyond was previously a 2 day festival but this year has expanded to 3 days, so you get an entire additional day of bands. Blackberry Smoke was set to play last year but didn’t get the opportunity due to the park flooding. So, all the fans that missed out last year, get ready because they are making their phenomenal return and I’m sure they will make up for the rains that washed them away last year! Let’s talk some about Blackberry Smoke. Continue reading

Sonic Temple Saturday Review & Photo Gallery

Gojira

A hot Columbus morning greeted the concert goers as they arrived at Mapfre Stadium for Day 2 of the Sonic Temple Arts and Music Festival. The sun was beaming down and and there wasn’t much relief from the wind. There also wasn’t as many people lined up waiting to get in when the gates opened. Maybe it was the late first night that kept those numbers down.

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ROCKUSA Festival Spotlight: FIRE FROM THE GODS [Official Videos]

*This is part of the Rock USA Spotlight segment where we help you get to know some of the non-headlining bands performing at the festival. Let us introduce you to Fire From The Gods*

Fire From The Gods formed in Austin, TX in 2010 and has really sprung onto the scene in the last year or so. Their album ‘Narrative’ had bangers like “Excuse Me” and “End Transmission” with AJ Channer controlling the flow of the songs with his blend of rap, reggae, and rock vocals to keep you on your toes. Fire From The Gods is likely one of the most energetic bands slated to perform at this years Rock USA. AJ Channer is actually the band’s second vocalist after he replaced Eric July who is now doing a project called Backwordz. Fire From The Gods has already played several major festivals like Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Welcome to Rockville. They only continue grew in popularity by playing on the Vans Warped Tour a few summers ago. This isn’t just your typical, generic rap metal band. These guys have a message to go with their music that has been needed for a long time. Continue reading

LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019 Full Lineup Announcement & Preview!

Louder Than Life is back with yet another star studded lineup after being forced to cancel the festival in 2018 due to flooding at Champions Park, which also caused the Bourbon & Beyond Festival to cancel the final day of that festival as well. The flooding caused immense damage to the festival grounds so the team at Danny Wimmer Presents and the city of Louisville found a new home for not only Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond but also the new country music festival Hometown Rising. The new home for the 3 consecutive weekends of music and spirits will be held at the Highland Festival Grounds At the Kentucky Expo Center. Keyword being “Highland,” so the rains won’t stop us in 2019. Just a week ago it was leaked and then announced that one of the worlds most popular bands Guns N’ Roses would be headlining the festival. That band alone is enough to have Loudmouths already packing their bags in anticipation to head to Louisville or should we say “Paradise City.” Continue reading

ROCKUSA Festival Spotlight: ROYAL TUSK [Official Videos]

 

*This is part of the Rock USA Spotlight segment where we help you get to know some of the non-headlining bands performing at the festival. Let us introduce you to Royal Tusk.

Royal Tusk was formed in Edmonton, Alberta in 2011. The band consists of Daniel Carriere (vocals, rhythm guitar), Quinn Cyrankiewicz (lead guitar, backing vocals), Sandy MacKinnon (bass, backing vocals), and Calen Stuckel (drums). The band fuses a classic and progressive rock approach with punk energy and a stoner groove to create something unique that is Royal Tusk. Continue reading

Epicenter Festival Spotlight: BOSTON MANOR [Official Videos]

*This is part of the Epicenter Festival Spotlight segment where we help you get to know some of the non-headlining bands performing at the festival. This week we introduce you to Boston Manor!*

Boston Manor is a pop punk band which formed in Blackpool, Lancashire, England in 2013. The band certainly isn’t of the heavier variety of bands performing at the Epicenter Festival, but they help give a break in all the heaviness throughout the day. Boston Manor released their debut EP ‘Here/Now’ the same year they formed in 2013. In 2014, the five piece released both a split with the band Throwing Stuff, as well as another EP titled ‘Driftwood.’ Then in 2015, Boston Manor signed to Pure Noise Records and released a four-track EP titled ‘Saudade.’ In 2016, Boston Manor released their first full-length album titled ‘Be Nothing.’ Continue reading

Epicenter Festival Spotlight: FEVER 333 [Official Videos]

 

Fever 333 is one of the most anticipated live bands of the summer. Vocalist Jason Aalon Butler formerly of Letlive is well known as a showman on stage. Having previously saw him perform with his previous band at the inaugural Chicago Open Air fans saw him not only sing with complete perfection but also climb to the top of the scaffolding on the stage approximately 400 feet up in the sky. Everyone eye in the crowd was watching Butler as he ascended to the top still screaming out vocals to the top of his longs. That is just one aspect of what you should expect when seeing him live and in the flesh. Of course he isn’t the only accomplished musician that makes up this stellar group. Following Butler’s Letlive break up, he teamed up with former The Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and Night Verses drummer Aric Improta to create Fever 333 in July 2017. The singer also announced in the last few days the formation of his new hardcore band Pressure CracksFever 333 trio quickly signed to Road Runner Records and released their 7 track EP ‘Made An America’. The band has said their focus is on “community, charity, and change” and Butler adds: “The movement is much greater than the music. The art is only a contingent piece. We want to make sure we’re just as involved in the activism and actual activation. By no means do we expect other artists to take on this task. “Most of the people who made big improvements were either assassinated or just called crazy. We make it ostensibly clear that everything we do is in an active effort for change. It’s about bringing back that socio-political mindfulness. We’re trying to write the soundtrack to the revolution that we know is about to happen.”  Continue reading