Friday At Aftershock? Oh boy, here we go.

It's nearly 10am and I'm currently riding to the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, if you didn't already know. And if you're prepping for the festival right now, here's some tips:

• Walmart has Fanny packs

• You can bring in one 20 oz. water bottle per person per day. That's $6 right there.

• If you're bringing in Tylenol, make sure the bottle's sealed
• You're sunscreen should have a seal on it too.

• It's going to be significantly colder than it normally is, so we won't all be borderline heat stroking the whole time, this time we'll be borderline hypothermic. 

• DOWNLOAD THE AFTERSHOCK APP

• The festival is going to be a dead zone, as per usual, but every once and a while you can get a call & text message out. So don't rely on Instagram Direct message & Snapchat.

Now onto the good shit, if you didn't already know about some of the smaller bands that will be playing today, here's your chance to learn about them.




CONTRACULT Collective-

Comprised of members Svart (vocals, production), Culprit (guitar) and BX (synthesizer, backup vocals), the California based Industrial group has been being praised for bringing a revitalizing wave into the Industrial Metal scene. They just released a music video for their new song "Plunge".


Ayron Jones-

Guitar rocker Ayron Jones is the new sound of Seattle in 2020. The gritty, genre-blending artist is an amalgam of the incredibly rich history of the city, from Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana to Sir Mix-A-Lot who produced Jones’ first independent record.

Now, Jones is primed to bring his unique sound to the rest of the world with his explosive single “Take Me Away” and his forthcoming album for Big Machine/John Varvatos Records. “Take Me Away” pulls Jones’ diverse influences into a style that is at once both familiar and yet distinctly his own, with firm footing in the nostalgia of rock music.

Unity TX-

Unity TX is a punk / rap / hardcore band out of Texas who is quickly making a name for themselves. With the release of their EP “Madboy” and their signing to Pure Noise Records, the band will tour throughout 2020 in support of the new EP. With a unique blend of hip hop and hardcore, Unity TX stands out as a band who is bound to make noise in the near future.

Crobot-

Like food of the gods, rock ‘n’ roll nourishes the soul. Offering holy communion, Crobot proudly personify a trinity of “meat, strings, and emotion” within their music and during the raucous and raging gigs they remain known for. Striking a delicate balance between hard-charging riffs, ass-shaking funk, and out-of-this-world reflective stage attire, the Pennsylvania quartet—Brandon Yeagley [lead vocals, harmonica], Chris Bishop [guitar, vocals], and Dan Ryan [drums], satisfy starvation for sonic sustenance on their fourth full-length and 2019 debut for Mascot Records, Motherbrain. James Lascu and Eddie Collins share the role of touring bassist for Crobot.

“When we were making the record, it was all about ‘meat, strings, and emotion’,” affirms Chris. “It explains the thought process. We’d usually start the day with chicken biscuits from Chik-fil-A. Obviously, I would play the strings. The emotion comes from the sheer power of me playing.”

“It had nothing to do with the chicken biscuits,” laughs Brandon.

Regardless, Crobot continue to fill a void. Since emerging in 2011, the group have quietly cemented themselves among the rising rock vanguard. Following the 2012 debut Legend of the Spaceborne Killer and 2014’s Something Supernatural, the musicians made waves with Welcome To Fat City in 2016. Consequence of Sound praised the title track as “a stomping slice of doom,” and Classic Rock bestowed a coveted 4-out-of-5 star rating on the album, going on to claim, “Welcome To Fat City is a mighty leap forward for Crobot, an ebullient masterclass.” Not to mention, they received acclaim from AXS, New Noise Magazine, and more as total album streams surpassed the 1-million-mark. Along the way, Crobot toured with the likes of Anthrax, Clutch, Black Label Society, Volbeat, Chevelle, Motorhead, The Sword, and more in addition to appearing on ShipRocked! and at numerous other festivals.

Des Rocs-

Somewhere in Queens, a musical madman creates compositions in an underground lair. Formerly used as a break room for 1950s MTA tunnel workers, the grit and legacy of the city radiates from the walls, anointing Des Rocs with the authentic soul of NYC.

Des Rocs is Rock ’N Roll. A fourth-generation New Yorker and pizza maker, his authenticity, coupled with his obsessive drive to create, has spawned an undeniable force of nature. His music builds upon its deep and soulful rock roots and applies a sadistic, frenetic twist. Des delivers Rock ’N Roll to the modern landscape, enriched with the deep reverence to the history of the art form.

Inspired by music and culture of both past and present, Des provides an energetic and dynamic live performance, displaying the blood, sweat, and tears of the journey to reinvent Rock ’N Roll.

Black Map-

Black Map is the union of three established Northern California rock musicians, driven by a shared dedication to big riffs, big drums and powerful, straight-ahead, all enveloping rock n’ roll. Black Map consists of the versatile voice and walloping bass groove of Ben Flanagan (Trophy Fire), the wall-of-sound big riff histrionics of guitarist Mark Engles (dredg) and the unstoppable driving force and tasteful skill of drummer Chris Robyn (Far).

Their visceral approach turned the heads of the people who connect with the atmospheric hard rock of Deftones and Tool, the melancholy beauty of A Perfect Circle, the cerebral yet primal drive of Baroness, with a definitive knack for the melodic and delicate, from the Cardigans to Elbow, and even the theatrically dramatic, from Peter Gabriel era Genesis to Pink Floyd.

POP EVIL-

POP EVIL is the bridge between life-affirming hard rock hit-making and the burgeoning new frontier of genre-bending postmodern playlists. A crowd-pleasing band unafraid to embrace the heaviest and most melodic ends of the spectrum, with a seemingly endless stream of No. 1 hits veering between fist-pumping anthems and timeless power ballads. POP EVIL delivers their most ambitious rebirth yet with a jaw-dropping sixth album.

“Let the Chaos Reign” and “Work” arrive as a twin assault of invigorating readymade hits for 2020, from an album filled to the brim with a dozen tracks each worthy of a dedicated spotlight. “Let the Chaos Reign” is the heaviest single the band has ever dropped, a rousing fight song of self-determination and rising to meet any challenge with courage and strength. By contrast, “Work” puts its heavy guitars atop grooving rhythmic punch and EDM flourishes, as it champions the working-class heroes

 struggling to persevere across all industries today.

cleopatrick- (yea, no caps)

a heavy alt-rock duo from the tiny town of Cobourg, Ontario.

A quick listen reveals devastating riffs and hip-hop inspired grooves, but closer inspection exposes the core mission of lifelong best friends Luke Gruntz (guitar/vocals) and Ian Fraser (drums): to restore the outspoken provocation of rock & roll through raw, abrasive honesty.

And the craziest part? It’s working.

To date, cleopatrick’s song “hometown” has independently amassed over 60 million streams without the help of a record label or marketing campaign. The band has been featured on the front cover of Spotify’s massive “Rock This” playlist, performed at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits– and done it all from their parents’ basements in a small town you’ve never heard of.

Fuck whatever you think rock is, because cleopatrick is about to change it all.

Alright, that's it. Remember to drink at least one water for every 10 beveragino's you guys get.