Fuzz Fest 11

Fuzz Fest 11 cranks it up to eleven at their annual epic indie rock jubilee at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor.

Fuzz Fest 11

That’s right, friends, another marathon of indie rock descended upon the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor as Fuzz Fest turned it up to 11. Cresting into another decade of mind-blowing music, this festival featured 33 punk, garage, sludge, doom, experimental, and stoner independent rock bands playing non-stop between two stages for three solid days of awesome. Fuzz Fest remains one of Michigan’s finest festivals because of its unwavering passion for local rock music.

Once again, Fuzz Fest was put together by Chris “Box” Taylor (The Man, The Myth, The Legend – Jukebox Productions), Adam Wilkinson (sound lead), Clay Conley (floor stage sound), Claudia Hicks (sound assist), Karl Dickinson (merch and crew), and Otis Dickinson (lights and crew). These folks work hard before, during, and after the show to bring us the best in indie rock music. I would be remiss not to also mention the outstanding staff at the Blind Pig. They rocked!

Sponsors for Fuzz Fest 11 included FAYGO, Life In Michigan, Great Honk Productions, VG Kids, and Leon Speakers. Putting on a music fest takes hard work and cash, so be sure to support these local businesses when you can.

Virga

Day 1 of Fuzz Fest 11 set sail on the dreamy, mist-strewn ocean of melodies sumptuously crafted by Virga. With tremulous guitars, willowy rhythms, and pillowy vocals, the music of Virga is all that is needed to sweetly smile and enjoy life.

Modern Lady Fitness

Thoughtful and limpid pools of pulsing passion best describe the suspended animation produced by Modern Lady Fitness. Alluring and inviting, this band crafts watercolor illusions using angular guitars, droning bass, and hypnotic drums. Close your eyes and open the door.

Trouble Clinic

Tapping into the jagged edge of punk rock that fueled the coming of grunge was Trouble Clinic. Fat bass riffs and propulsive drums are home to gritty guitar and vocals. The doctor is in, and the prescription is punk.

Golf Dolls

Weird rock warriors Golf Dolls brought their distinctive off-center rock from Madison to Ann Arbor. Taking equal parts Dead Kennedys, Flipper, and The Violent Femmes, this band conjugates punk rock across all borders.

KOZY

Firing up the stage for a set of balls-out, fist-in-the-air rock was KOZY from Detroit. High energy with the pedal smashed through the floorboards, this band raged like a jet-fueled funny car on Satan’s dragway.

Twin Freaks

The music of Twin Freaks reminds us all that the double dark dealings on the edge of sanity are right around the corner. Their music was chaotic, crafty, catchy, and disturbing. There should be a warning sign before the show that reads “No One Is Safe From Twin Freaks.”

Rose St. Germaine

The room seemed to spasm to the quirky psychedelic rock of Rose St. Germaine. Animated and evocative, Rose and her band played a brand of left-field psych that murmured dark poetry reminiscent of Nico, The Velvet Underground, and The Seeds. This set was both performative and profound.

Kat Steih and the Ferals

Juxtaposing the familiar and the surreal both visually and aurally was the pleasantly progressive rock of Kat Steih and the Ferals. Combining intriguing vocal and guitar melodies with driving bass and drums, you could feel the music harvesting wonder from your brain and laying siege to your soul. Be on the lookout for their new album, as it is a masterpiece.

Good Man’s Brother

High-powered twin guitars, stalwart vocals, and a rampaging rhythm section fueled a glorious set of riff rock by Good Man’s Brother. Heavy with a keen sense for harmony and a flair for dynamics, they put on a hell of a performance that said: “We are loud, we are proud, and we fucking rock!”

Human Skull

This was my tenth time experiencing Human Skull at Fuzz Fest. Once again, they left it all on the stage with a dazzling set. Their music always brings to mind the great Hüsker Dü and Dinosaur Jr. Human Skull never fails to deliver earnest and heart-pounding rock.

Blue Snaggletooth

From the long shadows of time, the riff lords of yore, Blue Snaggletooth are back in action. Chris Taylor (vocals/guitar) is back with Joe Kupiec (bass) and Casey O’Ryan (guitar). Handling the drums this time around was none other than Donny Blum (Mazinga). Without missing a beat, Blue Snaggletooth played a riotous set of double-fisted hard rock. Twin guitars were raised high as the band jammed “Serpent and the King” and “Sleeping Mountain” off the Beyond Thule album. They capped their set off with a chugging new banger called “Cult of the Spider God.“

Carousel

Carousel kicked off day 2 of Fuzz Fest. They played an impassioned set of hard rock covers and thoughtful originals. It’s been a minute since I’ve heard a band pull off a damn fine cover of Alice In Chains.

Solar Monolith

Dialing up the fuzz for a full-frontal assault of crushing grooves was Solar Monolith. This bass-and-drum duo waded into waist-deep sludge that squelched with heaviness. Bold and powerful, Solar Monolith blazed with the might of one thousand suns.

Soraia

Coming all the way from Philadelphia to rock our worlds was Soraia. Red-hot and punching hard, they gave a sweat-soaked performance that was both muscular and sleek.

Las Drogas

I’m awarding the Hunter S. Thompson award for best psychedelic rockabilly to Las Drogas. Imagine a marvelous fusion of Howlin’ Wolf, Duane Eddy, and The Sonics, and you’re close to the hip-driving rock and roll of Las Drogas.

Sea Hag

With sledgehammering guitars and thundering drums, Sea Hag roared with wicked intent. Savage, yet enchanting, this duo rained terror upon the stage. There is nowhere to hide from the Sea Hag!

Time Creep

Taking a lo-fi, spacious approach to art-rock were the geometric tunes of Time Creep. Subtle, surprisingly lush while minimal, their performance felt like a laid-back version of Talking Heads.

Glass Chimera

I imagine the backstory of Glass Chimera as three intrepid explorers of sound who discover a quantum flux qubit that swirls their DNA into a sonic portal. Within this portal, reflections of all notes, rhythms, and riffs that have ever been and will ever be come together in a sonic storm. You might then wonder, “How was Glass Chimera at Fuzz Fest?” and I would answer, “Amazing,” as I stared off into space with a huge smile on my face. This was easily one of the best sets at Fuzz Fest.

Angel Of Mars

Black Sabbath created the template for doom, and Angel Of Mars are continuing to craft new chapters of heaviness. The band turned the floor stage into the center of the universe as throbbing bass joined quaking drums, while massive, low guitars roared and haunted vocals soared with celestial majesty. Angel Of Mars are the alpha and omega of all that is heavy.

Winds of Neptune

It never fails. Every time I witness the mighty Winds of Neptune, I am nearly reduced to tears. Not out of sadness, but of sheer joy. This band writes some of the best hard rock in all the land. Once again they played a set where the drums and bass punched you in the chest, the guitar riffs and superb tone boggled the mind, and the vocals left you astounded. You can’t go wrong hitching a ride on the Winds of Neptune.

The Idiot Kids

There is no denying that The Idiot Kids are the deadly and serrated edge of punk rock. Feral and explosive, they charged into a set that bristled with uncontrolled energy. The Idiot Kids left us all panting and wanting more.

The Muggs

Night two climaxed with the unstoppable blues rock of The Muggs. Fun fact: the reason I went to the very first Fuzz Fest at Woodruff’s back in 2014 was to see The Muggs. Little did I know that would set my path to experiencing every Fuzz Fest since then. As with that earlier encounter, The Muggs blew me away with relentless blue-infused rock that struck as hard as the hand of God. Long live the Muggs!

Tongue

The third and final night of Fuzz Fest began with the terrifying Tongue. Belligerent guitars backed by incendiary drums were capped with vicious screams of agony and frustration. Tongue felt like a firestorm of hate delivered to persecute the damned.

Coyote Man

Coyote Man (from Chicago) gave us a phenomenal performance at Fuzz Fest. They commanded attention with their unique cinematic approach to heavy music. Their set included new songs from their mesmerizing new album, Prosthetic Memories. What sets this band apart is the perfect ebb and flow from dark to light. All of the nuanced textures of guitar, bass, and drums were played to perfection, making their dynamic music spring to life with imaginative force.

Reckless Rhythms

If you wanted up-front all-thrills-and-no-frills punk rock, you got it with Reckless Rhythms. This band kept the hammer down and bounded through a brisk set of hell-bent-for-leather riffs. Reckless Rhythms definitely lived up to their name.

Ghost Pipe

The set from Grand Rapids’ Ghost Pipe was like a sonic pagan ritual. It was as if this band had tapped into ancient knowledge and that had awakened a menace that would destroy the world. Using devastating drum and bass, growling guitars, and valiant vocals, Ghost Pipe conjures a blend of old-school metal and stoner rock into a musical form all their own.

Hayley & The Crushers

Imagine flying down a dragstrip at 200mph and having so much fun it should be illegal—that is what it felt like to see and hear Hayley & The Crushers at Fuzz Fest 11. They put on a big-top circus of no-holds-barred rock and roll. Everyone in the room felt the need to move as the compelling power of the grooves from Hayley & The Crushers could not be denied.

Blood Rune Sigil

Prying open the third eye with mountainous drums, pummeling bass, razor-sharp guitar, and summoning vocals was Blood Rune Sigil. Always a heavy and experimental band, their revised sound is more focused and intense. This metal reckoning snapped steel talons into your soul and wouldn’t let you go.

Supreme Mystic

There is a reason why the music of Supreme Mystic hit so hard at Fuzz Fest. Their authentic, positive messages were delivered with crushingly heavy riffs. The barrage of punishing drums and bass allowed the fierce energy of the guitars, keyboards, and vocals to burn with overwhelming brilliance. While each tune from Supreme Mystic packed a punch, the pinnacle came when they pounded home “Stealing Beauty” off of their Kala Rupa album.

The Velvet Snakes

Slapping you in the ass with a feisty set of dirty rock music were The Velvet Snakes. Their bluesy acid dreams turned into uncontrolled chaos as they channeled The Who and laid waste to the stage. The Velvet Snakes gave us a fuzzy rock freak-out.

Mazinga

The unstoppable blitz of Mazinga at Fuzz Fest 11 was a double shot of Red Bull with a cocaine chaser—a heart-stopping freight train of punk rock madness. As Chris, Donny, and Tony kicked out the jams, Marc took to the crowd, pacing like a caged animal while sharing the mic with the audience. Mazinga put on a full-throttle show that was non-stop fun.

Cherry Drop

Words like exciting, fervent, and potent come back to me as I think back to the sheer might produced by Cherry Drop at Fuzz Fest. This band absolutely explodes with untamed power. Tunes like “Slow Walk” and “Let Loose,” performed at maximum volume and blistering intensity, are all the proof anyone needs that this band is one of the best in Detroit.

The Strains

The culmination of three days of Fuzz Fest 11 erupted with the unabashed rock of The Strains. While Paul (vocals/guitar), Gretta (guitar/vocals), Kellen (bass/vocals), and Al (drums) were missing Jamy (lead guitar), they didn’t let that stop them from blowing the roof off the Blind Pig. Supercharged riffs riding a rampage of drum and bass lit up the stage with uncompromising rock and roll fury. The massive sonic shock of The Strains was the very best way to end three days of incredible indie rock.

Pictures

There are a pantload of photos from Fuzz Fest 11 days one, two, and three in our galleries.

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