GONERFEST 21 - SCHEDULE

Shut the front door! Is this a brand new band rocking a three-guitar/vox lineup of Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound, Oblivians, Compulsive Gamblers, etc), Jesse Smith (Carbonas, Gentleman Jesse, etc) and Joseph Plunkett (Country Westerns, Gentleman Jesse) with Eliza Hill on drums? Where exactly can one go wrong here? Releases coming! What a way to start the fest... WOW! Do not miss this!

 (Como, MS + Memphis)

Goner Fest faves since before there was a GF. That might not make sense, but it actually sort of does. Two erudite ambassadors of anything and everything rock and roll related that’s worth knowing. Could probably do some kind of wildly-entertaining “all 21 Goner Fests in 21 minutes” thing, but don’t give them any ideas. Wait…make that 21 hours.

Reemerging last year with a new album on the Medical Records, the long-running spacerock/drone/minimalist/psych concern of Kip Uhlhorn has released albums on the esteemed Kranky Records and one can expect them to sound exactly like a band that has a song titled, “Krautwerk”. 

Imagine if a band was good enough to never have to move beyond song intros. Performing the civic duty of making sure festival attendees are wide awake and alert for the impending drive/walk/flight/bike ride/boat trip home, Water Damage is a rotating collective that has laid a NEU!/SWANS/Dirty Three scorch of macro-minimalism and repetitive pummel across three full lengths since 2022 via 12XU. Either perfect, hilarious, or both for the 2pm Sunday slot.

What the AC/DC t-shirt is to any random Target location, the M.O.T.O. t-shirt is to Goner Fest. Come find out why and celebrate a half-century of power-pop/garage-everything/rock-everything autonomy, as Paul Caporino brings M.O.T.O. back for the first GF appearance since the pre-pandemic days. Check out 2023’s Wall of Phlegm on Michael Bateman’s Nuthin’ Records.  "I Hate My Fucking Job." "Blast Of Silence." "Magic Words." Hooks for days.

Whether intentional or not, the primarily-forgotten out-pop/fringe/noise/deconstructo-free-rock micro-scenes of the 90s have a current torchbearer in the form of this Canadian duo. Full-length The Stones Are Watching and They Can Be a Handful appropriately released in 2022 by Siltbreeze, which is exactly where the band would have ended up if they were active 30 years ago. Brilliant and heart-stopping.

RIYL: rougher Strapping Fieldhands material, The Shaggs, TFUL 282, The Tower Recordings

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A longtime enthusiast of the intersection we know as stupidity@brilliance, Martin Meyer (Lumpy and the Dumpers, Lumpy Records) goes full-on shamble with a fleshed out sound, nuance and songwriting that recalls TV Personalities Dan Treacy at his carefree best.

Ryan Davis is the man behind the great Louisville rock band State Champion, the great Cropped Out Festival and the great Sophomore Lounge label. His first eponymous project, the Roadhouse Band, released the excellent Dancing On The Edge album last year on Sophomore Lounge. RIYL early Palace/Will Oldham/Bonnie Prince Billy, Magnolia Electric Co. etc, and especially if you don’t like those sounds. Ryan & co will WIN you!

RIYL: 

Mummies, Fastbacks, Reigning Sound, Mighty Caesars, Delmonas, Gories, Back from the Grave, Lyres, Rondelles, Frumpies

Hey, search engine optimization wasn't a thing in the mid-to-late-70s, and neither was Tucson's Class, but you wouldn't know it by the historical attention to detail re: pub-rock, power-pop, hooky-punk and no-B.S. rock. These ham ‘n’ eggers probably know what Cyril Jordan had for breakfast on this day in 1976. And their Bandcamp bio is a wish-I’d-written-it work of art. Brilliant!

Those of a particular vintage might remember a stretch in the 00s when it was not uncommon to see Brooklyn’s largely-unclassifiable Oneida 2 - 3 times per year. But no one of any vintage is wondering if perhaps they attended an Oneida show and the recollection got lost in the mix, as it would be permanently burned into the folds. In the late 90s, Oneida had a huge part in establishing the use of non-traditional/industrial show spaces in Brooklyn that would of course transform into a massive scene by the next decade. 

Members of Duchess Says, CPC Gangbangs, Red Mass, etc return after a decade absence with the best take on post-punk we’ve heard in recent memory. Equally likely to lock into an ESG/Delta 5 groove with a Hall and Oates hook as it is to grow a hundred foot tall wall of riffs and roll right over you. Upcoming second full-length on Goner!!  

Michael Beach (Melbourne, Australia)

A highlight of both Gonerfest 19 and the label roster itself, Michael Beach has logged a decade of applying wickedly-magnetic songwriting to whatever he wishes, be it lopsided Crazy Horse workouts, art-damaged ROCK, or piano/torch balladry that will put something in your eye. Make sure to check out his most recent single, “The Sea”; a six-minute statement of purpose that builds into what we would want the end of the world to sound like.  

 Oneida incorporates Krautrock, noise-rock, synth-everything, prog-pop and minimalism into something that sounds like nothing before or since. As of this writing, Oneida has released 16 full lengths and as many singles/EPs/splits since forming in 1997. The bulk of the discography was released by Jagjaguwar, though the band’s own Brah Records appears on many releases and more recent fare has come courtesy of Joyful Noise Recordings. From sublime and succinct pop to extended minimalist jams that sound like Ash Ra Tempel being chased by an Amazon van in reverse…it’s everything in between those extremes plus more. Of more recent note would be 2016’s What’s Your Sign? album with legendary avant guitar composer Rhys Chatham, the Romance and Success full-lengths (in 2018 and 2022 respectively) and the “Tusko” 7” this year with Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE…it’s Mike Watt).

House band for the International Museum of Post-Punk History, if that existed, but with stuff happening here that doesn't fit the '77-'82 timeframe implied (like some Sonic Youth and noise-rock). New enough and true enough to the sound that the internet can't decide if they are from Australia or The U.K. (try L.A.). Named for the U.K.’s top secret pre-Manhattan Project efforts to develop nuclear weapons, Tube Alloys released their debut full-length in 2022 on La Vida Es Mus/Urge Records.

 Onstage, as referenced above, Oneida has maintained a reputation as one of the greatest live acts for the last 25+ years. From concise to extended improv workouts that have included members of The Flaming Lips, Boredoms, Bevis Frond, Portishead, Sonic Youth’s Lee Renaldo, Yo La Tengo, Dead C, and many others. Crossing over into the museum/gallery world with ease has seen Oneida perform at Guggenheim Museum, MoMA PS1, MassMOCA and the Knoxville Museum of Art. Oneida’s 2024 non-guest lineup remains the core of Kid “you’ve got to see that drummer!!”  Millions (John Colpitts), Hanoi Jane (Francis McDermott…real….name?) on guitar/bass and Bobby Matador (Robertson Thacher) on organ/bass/vocals, with longtime band engineer Barry London on synths/organ/effects and Shahin Motia on guitar. Oneida will be performing at Gonerfest 21, where they’ll be closing out the festival (4pm Sunday) with one long bang that you won’t want to miss.

Punked-up pub rock or rocked out pub....pun....ok screw that. If you're a fan of The Only Ones or Cheap Trick, and you should be on both counts, then don't miss this newish Nashville/Dublin  outfit that’s got signed to the highly-regarded Dirtnap Records after their stellar set at one of last year's Gonerfest afterparties! They're on the big stage this time, and ready to deliver, big time.

Split System deliver tough, flat stick street punk with plenty of hooks, a style that has helped the band establish themselves as an unmissable live act over the last few years. The band have continued to develop their sound, now ranging from melodic mid-tempo chuggers to moody post-punk as well as maintaining the pumping 70s-infused oz speed punk boogie energy they’re known for.

Split System chooses substance over style. You won’t find this lot posing for shots at your local dive bar turned gastro pub, they’re more likely to be found holding up the front bar with a couple of bloody noses.

Reissue of Split System Vol 1 LP coming on Goner!

Tokyo’s Angel Face is the latest excuse for Fink of Teengenerate/Firestarter/American Soul Spiders fame to go full parkour on a venue stage. We know this is one of those ‘you had me at ‘Tokyo’...” moments, and you know to expect a lot of incendiary but smiling chaos courtesy of a type of rock enthusiasm we just don’t see very often. Seriously, this band would choose boiled leather jackets as their last meal.   Garage Punk royalty from a scene that has spawned some of the best!

Since burning up the stage for GF 19, Sidney Australia’s gloriously silly garage crew has a new LP (last year’s Goodnight Neanderthal) on Goner and a reissue of their 2018 debut on Goodbye Boozy. There will be no taking of anything too seriously and perfect vibes for the Sat night pre-headlining slot. 

Etran de L'Aiir (Agadez, Niger)

Goner brings Agadez, Nigeria’s finest back to Memphis, but this time to the GF stage and if you missed Etran De L’Air’s 2023 appearance at Growler’s, well here’s a chance to see their patented ‘happy desert blues’ in an outdoor setting where it was meant to be experienced. Intense guitar interplay that just spirals off into infinity faster than you can count. Flat out amazing.

This entry should simply read, "Does it really need to be spelled out here?” . But if you’ve lived with a pack of feral dogs up until last month (and are still reading in an unalienated fashion), let's just say that if you are attending Gonerfest, then you are a fan of at least something this man has touched, There’s the namesake Blues Explosion, Pussy Galore, Boss Hog, Gibson Bros., Heavy Trash or Jon Spencer & The Hitmakers... all gold! Underrated somehow after bringing the blasts for so many years - hearing Pussy Galore & JSBX songs with fresh ears will blow you away!