Top 5 On Friday – Planet Desert Rock (The 1st 5 bands announced that sold me!)
Planet Desert Rock is arguably the best stoner rock festival that exists in America. I state this without ever attending RippleFest Texas, but I am solely basing this on the lineup and feedback from past participants. When John Gist started announcing this lineup for next year’s Planet Desert Rock as early as February or March, I was definitely interested.
1. THROTTLEROD
The first name I saw was Throttlerod, and I almost lost my shit. They have been a favorite of mine since 2006. Their album Nail was just released and I decided to listen to that one first. I then quickly bought Hell And High Water and have been rotating both records ever since. I was totally sold on their awesome sound and proceeded to attain all of their releases. I am a huge fan of all of it! Throttlerod never made the same album twice. I even did a Top 5 On Friday post about them (here). Their sound morphed quite a lot since Eastbound And Down. I feel I have a deep connection with their music that hit me the right way. I know Andrew Schneider, who recorded and played bass for a stint in the band’s career. His style and sound really resonates with me and I think he’s one of the best heavy rock recording engineers today. I used to listen to Throttlerod constantly and always revisit after some time passes. They released a two song single last year called, Anytime & Revival (review here). The band are not even currently active which makes this interesting. Playing Planet Desert Rock is a perfect gig for Throttlerod because I always felt that they got shafted in the mid 2000’s when it came to big heavy rock shows. I am surprised because they were fantastic live the two times that I got to see them. When I saw their name right after Freedom Hawk (another fantastic band!), I was becoming aware of something big that was brewing.
https://throttlerod.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EmjwM5SiD/?mibextid=wwXIfr
2. ISAAK
The next band name that caught my attention was Italy’s Isaak. This band has really been growing on me ever since I heard them last year. I love their hardcore infused heavy rock/ metal style and 2023’s Hey (review here) was one absolutely kick ass record! I love that the opportunity to see Isaak live is possible and amazing! The very first batch of songs that I heard from Isaak was the split they did with New York’s Geezer (review here). I knew there was something magical about what these guys were doing and these three tracks prompted me to go all in on the band’s discography.
https://isaakmusic.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EkgPPmzM1/?mibextid=wwXIfr
3. MOOCH
The next band name that I was pleasantly impressed with was MOOCH, from Canada. These guys rock hard and are excellent musicians! Their 2024 album, Visions (review here) really grew on me and I was sold. It’s fantastic! I always thought seeing them live would be a great experience and now a gleaming possibility. Unfortunately, I only heard Visions very late in the year and only really got into MOOCH this past January.
https://moochmusicofficial.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FSdSZuj6c/?mibextid=wwXIfr
4. HIGH DESERT QUEEN
High Desert Queen is a super awesome live band that I will always welcome seeing again. They opened for Dozer (show review) and totally destroyed the place! Their 2024 album Palm Reader (review here) is a must have! The energy that the band brings is incredible and well reciprocated with the audience. All good vibes and heavy desert rock!
https://highdesertqueen.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FhLV3q3dU/?mibextid=wwXIfr
5. HUANASTONE
Finally, out of the first batch of names from the announcement, Huanastone caught my attention. This Swedish based hard rock band is amazing! I believe this is how I discovered the band. Their Son Of Juno (review here) album snuck past my radar and was missed on my year end list. The music is powerful and engaging and the vocals are next level soaring and awesome. This band will be a great treat to witness live and Mr. Gist has done it again!
https://huanastone.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/share/1928dZGFoV/?mibextid=wwXIfr
So these five (six counting Freedom Hawk) bands were my initial pull for wanting to buy tickets for this amazing festival. Check out all these bands for the amazing music that they all create. Next week, I will talk about the next five bands that were added on shortly after. I have never been more excited for a show(s), this is a totally stacked lineup. John Gist is literally booking all of my favorite bands and adding some future favorite bands. I just love this scene and all the bands that are so incredibly diverse but excellent in what they do. The variety of styles at this festival are brilliant and well thought out. Next week I will continue ranting my love for The Planet Desert Rock Festival and share some more exceptional bands. Thanks for reading and take care!
