MARYLAND DOOM FEST Rescheduled For Halloween Weekend 2020

Hot off the presses from Mettle Media PR: The Maryland Doom Fest celebrates its sixth anniversary in 2020, today they confirm a reschedule of the event, now set for Halloween Weekend — October 29th through November 1st, 2020! The official word from JB Matson, founder of Maryland Doom Fest: “In these trying times, we hope each of you are healthy… Continue reading MARYLAND DOOM FEST Rescheduled For Halloween Weekend 2020

Interview with Rik Surly of THUNDERCHIEF

Thunderchief. Photo by Randy J. Byrd

Richmond, Virginia metal stalwart Rik Surly was just about to spend months on tour promoting his band Thunderchief’s awesome new album…. And then the pandemic happened.  It’s a story that’s all too familiar in the underground music scene these days, but there’s nothing to do except adjust and adapt.   Surly talked with Alternative Control about… Continue reading Interview with Rik Surly of THUNDERCHIEF

DUST PROPHET Announces New Vocalist, Wen Marie

Fresh off the PR wire, New Hampshire stoner rockers Dust Prophet have announced a new lead vocalist, Wen Marie.  She will perform her first show with the band on March 20th at Cherry Street Station in Wallingford, CT — a warmup for appearances at the New England Stoner and Doom Festival prefest party in May… Continue reading DUST PROPHET Announces New Vocalist, Wen Marie

Bearing Light from Coast to Coast: An Interview with Kyle Stratton of Atala

Atala performing at Maryland Doomfest 2019. Photo by Julya Brown.

Thanks to an introduction from my photographer bud Julya, I did an off the cuff interview with Kyle Stratton from Atala after their performance at 2019’s Maryland Doomfest.  This was the eighth day of the band’s 16-day, 16-show tour; beginning in northern California (nine hours away from their hometown on the California/Arizona border), their journey… Continue reading Bearing Light from Coast to Coast: An Interview with Kyle Stratton of Atala

A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole with Dee and Willy of Spiral Grave

Spiral Grave

Photographs by Julya Brown. My trip to Maryland Doom Fest in June 2019 was a journalistic adventure as well as a musical one.  A highlight was talking with members of new Maryland band Spiral Grave, who played at Guido’s Speakeasy on Friday, June 21st.  Introduced to the band by photographer Julya Brown, I talked separately… Continue reading A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole with Dee and Willy of Spiral Grave

Speaking Easy with Wolf Blood at Maryland Doomfest

  It was a stormy, stormy night….  Originally conceived to be a thrash band, that idea for Wolf Blood was short lived.  It’s hard to pin a genre on this heavy quartet out of Minneapolis, but thrash is not one that comes to mind.  I was thinking more sludge/psych/doom…   But anyhow, the band just put… Continue reading Speaking Easy with Wolf Blood at Maryland Doomfest

The Busiest Guy in Indianapolis: An Interview with Steve Janiak

Sitting at Olde Mother Brewing in Frederick, Maryland with Steve Janiak, I couldn’t help but be impressed with his heavy metal resume: as far as I knew at that moment, Steve was the frontman and guitarist of Devil to Pay (Ripple Music) as well as playing guitar and singing backup in Apostle of Solitude (Cruz Del… Continue reading The Busiest Guy in Indianapolis: An Interview with Steve Janiak