Thursday’s Ripplefest Pre-Party festivities and performances were nothing short of magnificent! Even more magnificent is that Friday’s “official” kickoff is scheduled to begin at 4:20pm. This gives me and my pals some time for rest.
The Scots have other plans, however. If I recall correctly, they hit some record shops and other spots around Austin. My Canadian pal, and photographer extraordinaire, Darren was desperate for sunburn relief. We hit the local Walmart and had immediate success in retrieving the necessary goods to keep us in the fight: Sunburn spray, Tylenol, and a big pack of Gatorade Zero. Total rock star shopping list, right? Austin’s heat was oppressive. If you’re going to Ripplefest Texas 2025, HYDRATE!
I was incredibly stoked because the rest of my band was flying in from Chicago today. I was equally excited to finally hit the Far Out Lounge, and this days’ lineup was a rager!
Even if this were a one-day fest and last night’s Pre Party at the Sagebrush didn’t happen, this lineup right here is incredible enough to stand alone as a one-day fest, right?
It’s a bit difficult to picture if you weren’t there, but the setup that Garney and staff managed pull off is nothing short of tactical brilliance. No overlaps. At all.
Each day, bands start out on the Yellow Stage. Immediately following that band’s set, a couple hundred paces to the Main Stage, the next band is just beginning. It’s a feat nothing short of amazing! This requires bands, stage crew, and sound techs to work quickly and work together in making this happen. Once the last note on the Main Stage was struck, the first note of the Yellow Stage band was deployed.
The techs and crew were top notch all weekend. Thunderhorse’s Stephen Bishop was instrumental in making sure everything was flowing. He was another hero of the weekend for sure, along with Ryan Garney and The Absurd’s Josh Loney, who helped with sound and filming.
Formula 400 started promptly at 4:20 and completely decimated the place. What an absolutely stellar, high-energy, throat punching, Chuck Norris roundhouse kicking set to start the day! By the time they played Kickstands Up, the crowd was in a frenzy!
As if that weren’t enough, no time for rest and relaxation because Blue Heron, filled with fire (and just a week shy of officially dropping their new album, Everything Fades) absolutely crushed on the Main Stage. Formula 400 into Blue Heron is a one-two punch man. Jadd is one of my absolute favorite modern rock singers and if you’ve ever caught them live or on YouTube, you know just how absolutely mad Ricardo is behind that drum kit! Blue Heron’s set was absolutely perfect. Great songs by a great and incredibly talented band.
Robots of the Ancient World, a band I honestly was not familiar with, kicked it into gear immediately following Blue Heron. Here is another case of, “holy smokes, this band slays!” and rightfully belonged on that stage.
J
ust when I thought I could catch my breath, another fast paced (Ripplefest is a great way to get your steps in, by the way) walk over to the Main Stage as Legions of Doom delivered a legendary performance. It was really great to see some history up on that stage, and they did not disappoint.
Leather Lung, a cast of miscreants whose hard-partying vibe translates well to their live performance, fired up the Yellow Stage. The band was firing on all cylinders for sure. Vocalist, Mike Vickers knows how to get a crowd going, and he proved that during the Boston rockers’ set, leaving the crowd wanting for more.
There is no time for standing around… it is now officially GO TIME! Domkraft. Main Stage.
Sweden’s Domkraft hit the stage just as the sun was going down, giving our Mad Alchemist a giant canvas to work with! There deserves to be a lot written about Domkraft’s performance at Ripplefest Texas that I cannot give proper verbiage to. The experience, sonically and visually, was magical. The setting was perfect. The sound was on point. The liquid light show was brilliant. Domkraft performed such a remarkable set.
At first glance, Thunderhorse could be easily cast in any Hollywood show as a nefarious group of henchmen. Their swagger and bad-assery translates well to their stage persona as well. These guys, however, aren’t actors. Vocalist/guitarist, Stephen Bishop led his band through an insanely high-energy set of riff worship. I was up front with our singer, John and we were 18 again… sweating and banging our heads to the most heavy and punishing, non-stop barrage of killer music that night! I screamed “FUCK YEAH!” so many times as I pumped my fist, that I lost my voice. When they closed their set with Motorhead’s Ace of Spades, the place turned into a complete madhouse. My favorite band/performance of the night, hands-down.
Fortunately, this is my second time seeing Belzebong live. By now, the sun is gone. The Mad Alchemy Liquid Light show is in full force as Poland’s number one cannibinauts deliver their best low ‘n slow heaviness. Standing in the far back near the merch tables enables me to converse with friends while still enjoying the performance. How great is it that Ripplefest is TRULY an international festival at this point?!!! Thus far, Norway, Sweden, and now Poland, have graced the Ripplefest Texas stages. How incredibly lucky we are to be here for this! If Belzebong ever come near your town, make sure to go see them!
Standing in the same spot near the merch tables enables us to slightly readjust our position to see The Heavy Eyes kicking off at the Yellow Stage. This Memphis band brought their A game! Their infectious bluesy fuzz-laden grooves kept everyone movin’ and groovin’!
Keeping with the Bong theme from earlier, Wisconsin legends, Bongzilla absolutely SMOKED (hehe) through a killer set. Another band I’ve been fortunate enough to see before. This time only two weeks prior, I had the privilege of seeing them and having cool hangs with Michael and company in Chicago while they played with Kadabra , Hippie Death Cult, and our homies, Black Sunrise.
Austin locals, Tia Carrera closed the night with their amazing heavy psych instrumentals. Being a HUGE fan of Trower and Earthless has me paying very close attention to what they’re serving. I REALLY want to jam with these guys!!! Another of the bands I was not familiar with who gained a new fan in me in an instant!
And just like that, the night is over. Ripplefest Texas, night one; Veni, Vidi, Vici.
Bravo! See you tomorrow! The first band kicks off at 1:30. Oh hey, THAT’S ME!!!
Stay tuned for Ripplefest Texas: Part IV… yet to be titled.
