News

One of the great things about Riot Fest is its distinctive sense of humor that feels so pervasive around Douglas Park each year. Whether it’s slapping tongue-in-cheek nametags on porta potties (like “Turdstile”, “Clogging Molly”, etc.), a giant “butter” statue of John Stamos (rumor has it he may actually show up this year), you name […]

Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy And Friends have announced a spring 2026 U.S. tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s iconic album, Lifes Rich Pageant. After the pair’s rapturously received run earlier this year honoring the band’s famed 1985 album Fables of the Reconstruction, which saw the four original members of R.E.M. join Shannon & […]

REVERSE YR CURSE are making an artful, nuanced sort of indie rock music in Richmond, Virginia; culled from decades worth of equally oversized record collections and neuroses. Lyrics point to struggle on both the micro and macro levels, within and without. There’s an air of rooting for the downtrodden, always longing for relief. There’s a […]

George Steel was born in the United States of America in the Summer, and his hands are made of Steel. The artist’s debut album, 2024’s Desire on the Range, introduced Steel as a refreshing voice in modern pop. The danceable, colorful, electro-funk LP highlighted the many sides of Steel, with a tracklist that transitions from […]

Modern hardcore icons turned pop culture sensation Turnstile is fresh off the release of their long-awaited follow-up to their breakthrough effort. After capturing the attention of fans from across genres and eras with their intricate fusion work on 2021’s GLOW ON, the Baltimore-bred band took its time with its follow-up, and it was worth every […]

Continuing our Riot Fest preview this week, while the bold-font headliners often garner the most attention at first glance, as many veteran Riot Festers can attest, it’s those pleasantly surprising midday sets that can end up being the most rewarding. And there’s certainly no shortage of those smaller font gems on the docket at this […]

If you want to know what kind of band Bonus Room is, you just have to hear the guys tell you the story of how they named their debut EP, Bunk. What started out as a rumination on childhood sleepovers in that titular Bonus Room led to a round of word association around the phrase […]

Skiving (fka Human Resources) is the art rock post-office organisation currently restructuring London’s musical identity. Contrasting the sterile aesthetics and jargon of the workplace with their chaotic and exuberant music, the quintet aims to play the nuances of surreal social commentary against a backdrop of musical exploration to construct their immersive lyrical landscapes. It is […]

Gov’t Mule, led by guitar legend, vocalist, songwriter and producer Warren Haynes, has announced the details for their annual New Year’s Run, the quartet’s venerable commitment of bringing together the Mule community to ring in the new year since 2002. This year’s three-night stand begins Sunday, December 28th at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, New York and then returns to the famed Beacon Theatre in New York City, the longstanding […]

With Riot Fest slated to kick off its 20th iteration in Chicago later this week, a preview of the notoriously eclectic and distinctly entertaining festival seems in order. And while this year’s lineup might seem a little heavy on the pop-punk/accessible tip, there are at least a few crushingly heavy bands peppered into the mix […]