Breaking Bread with the Dragon: Sandrider Returns

We're happy to welcome back Seattle's Sandrider to Total Fest this year. They were a freshly assembled band back in 2009 that melted more than a few unsuspecting faces. Why people were so surprised was a bit baffling. The three members, Jon Weisnewski, Nat Damm, and Jesse Roberts have quite the pedigree beneath them. Jon and Nat hail from (the all too fresh ashes) of Akimbo, and Jesse from Ruby Doe. The band is extremely solid and sound like they've been playing together for more than just a few years.

For a variety of reasons, their self-titled, and highly anticipated, debut LP didn't come out until 2011 on Good To Die Records, but Sandrider built-up a solid reputation based on their thunderous live performances. For my money, it's one of the best albums of last year, and the tastemakers have been flipping their heads with new adjectives to describe the band. They've been dubbed approachable stoner rock and described as slightly less violent chaos, but it's hard, and ultimately unnecessary, to find an adequate definition for a band that meanders and crushes all at the same time.

The tempered screams are tracked by forceful riffs and punctuated with colossal drums. It's more than just a genre, Sandrider exposes all the raw nerves and muscle that makes you realize that heavy music is best when it's felt. They're still one of the most fun, well-rounded, volcanic bands that I've seen. The band has erupted from its once dreaded "side project" status into one of the most hard hitting, power trios in the north west. In one way, Sandrider marks a resurrection of Seattle's heavy heydays, but, much more so, the band is building on that sound, taking it in new and exciting directions that should force us all to realize how damn lucky we are to have them return.

You have your warning this time; don't look so surprised when they slap you in the face.

2012 Begins Now

We've been promising this for a few weeks. Apologies for our delay.


We received an overwhelming number of great submissions this year. A few evenings spilled into a handful of marathon listening sessions, followed by days of talking through the crazy amount of talent that came through the submissions inbox. By no means is it a perfect system, but we, here at Total Fest, feel like we've come up with an awesome, well-rounded line-up that will get your blood moving. We have a limited amount of slots, and we're saddened by some of the bands that we have to leave out of the festival. It's tough, but it's a welcome problem to face. Thank you to everyone that put their hat into the ring. Submitting to a festival can be a tough, cold process, and we hope that we add a little more of a human element to things. We appreciate all the support  that you give us. Although it seems trite at times, it simply cannot be said enough -- Total Fest does not and cannot exist without you.


Lamentations aside, we're frickin' stoked about this year. We have approximately 45 bands lined-up, and there's not an out in the bunch. It's rewarding to see this come together, and we hope you'll erase that pencil and solidly ink in your travel plans for the 16th-18th.
A few changes: We'll be posting more as the days go by, but, unlike previous years, we'll throw-up a dozen or so bands at a time and follow-up with some write-ups and general musings on individual bands. So, without further ado here is the first installment for Total Fest XI:


Big Fiction    Arlington, TX
Brain Tumors    Minneapolis, MN
Broken Water    Olympia, WA
Buildings    Minneapolis, MN
Dikes of Holland    Austin, TX
Dreamdecay    Seattle, WA
No-Fi Soul Rebellion    Bellingham, WA
Pins of Light    San Francisco, CA
Rock n Roll Adventure Kids    Berkeley, CA
Roomrunner    Baltimore, MD
Sandrider    Seattle, WA
The Be Helds    Austin, TX


Stay tuned for blog posts on these bands with more updates to follow in the coming weeks!