The Power of the Riff Heads East

After three years of hammering away at the West Coast, Southern Lord's The Power of the Riff Festival is making its East Coast debut at Brooklyn's Warsaw this weekend (September 1 & 2). Much like the kind of finely-curated roster we've come to expect from a label that specializes in all things downtuned and acerbic, the fest will feature some of the heaviest acts around today. And since it's New York—plenty of local flavor.

Headlining the two-day event will be Pentagram (set to perform their '80s-era hidden gem, Relentless in its entirety), local legends Agnostic Front—who'll be running through Victim in Pain and United Blood, Negative Approach, Sunn0))), Winter, Repulsion and Double Negative. And though Poison Idea were forced to drop off for medical reasons, MA's Hoax have stepped in to replace them.

Rounding out the bill are buzzed-about up-and-coming bands Xibalba, Coffinworm, Power Trip and a slew of others. It should be interesting to see how the juxtaposition of doom-heavy headliners and hardcore legends balances out, along with the turnout for Pentagram, who are currently basking in the attention of their new well-received documentary, Last Days Here.

For tickets and merch options, check out thepoweroftheriff.com. See you there.

Big in the UK

So this happened.

Last Thursday morning, I got a call from a coworker asking if I'd be willing to discuss Baroness' near-fatal bus accident near Avon, England with BBC News, who were looking for an American journalist to contextualize the band and expound on the Yanks currently recuperating in their local hospital after surviving a 30-foot swan dive off of a viaduct during a rainstorm.

"Sure, as long as they don't expect me to be on camera."

They asked for me to appear on camera. I had a little under an hour to sum up my thoughts before heading up to the BBC's midtown studio for a whirlwind taping. I was mic'd up, given an earpiece and seated in front of a green screen with three giant lights shining at me. It was pretty trippy seeing myself in the monitor; glad I washed my hair that morning.

Watching the segment, especially the shot of the reporter from below that panned out to display just how tremendous of a tumble Baroness' bus took, it's truly a miracle they and their crew survived. Let's hope the band and all involved heal quickly and get back to their families and music as soon as possible.

With that, below is my international television interview debut. Please be kind as I'm not used to being on that side of the camera.