Who The Heck Are Teenage Wrist?
For our second installment of Who The Heck series (a new visual Q&A series where we introduce you to our favorite up-and-coming acts), we talked to Los Angeles, California band Teenage Wrist. Teenage Wrist’s current lineup is comprised of guitarist/frontman Marshall Gallagher and longtime drummer Anthony Salazar, along with two touring members: guitarist McCoy Kirgo…
Jimmy Eat World Drop New Song “Something Loud”
“Something Loud” is their first new song since 2019Any day at the Riot Fest office is better when a new Jimmy Eat World song drops. Today, thankfully, was one of those days. Jimmy Eat World’s new standalone single “Something Loud” is their first release since 2019’s Surviving, and it comes with a music video to pair. We have no complaints: put simply, it’s…
Staff Picks: Matt Freeman’s 10 Essential Punk Bass Licks
The Operation Ivy & Rancid bassist bring his new band Charger to Cobra Lounge on June 16One look through Matt Freeman’s album credits is enough to fill a whole shelf under your turntable. His unique style of playing bass—heavily utilizing scales and arpeggios—has always stood out in the world of punk rhythm sections. Since co-founding a little-known band called Operation Ivy, Freeman is best known for his 30+ year career with…
We’re Hiring! Sign Up at Riot Fest’s 2022 Job Fairs
And if you live nearby, sign up for complimentary tickets to Riot Fest 2022We’re seeking residents from North Lawndale and Douglass Park-adjacent communities to work in temporary positions during this year’s festival. Applications are now live; apply below or send in this PDF form to Staff@RiotFest.org. Applications are due August 17. In addition: we’d like to remind neighbors that those who live within the four block radius of Douglass…
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Have a New Album Coming Out This September
Their first record in 9 years arrives September 30; Listen to the lead single “Spitting Off the Edge of the World”Just in time for Riot Fest, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have graced us with a brand-new single: “Spitting Off the Edge of the World,” their first release in 9 years. The song is the first single off their upcoming fifth studio album Cool It Down (out September 30), as well as their first release with…
Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Year Zero’ Tried to Predict 2022. What Did It Get Right?
A look into the themes found across the band’s 2007 release, where Trent Reznor wrote about a dystopian, totalitarian 2022Sometime in the mid ’00s, Trent Reznor saw the writing on the wall. It didn’t spell out anything good. In 2000, human sock puppet George W. Bush was essentially installed as President by the Supreme Court after losing the popular vote. He was re-elected in 2004, coasting on a post-9/11 wave of jingoism, racism, and…
Find Your 2022 Tickets with Riot Fest’s Shitty Scavenger Hunt
Follow the clues. Find the tickets. Attend our shitty music festival.Contest time! We’ve hidden Riot Fest 2022 tickets across Chicago’s smelliest landmarks. Each location has an envelope containing a pair of 3-Day passes—but you’ll have to find them before anyone else does! Scroll through the photos below for a hint of each location (there’s 8 total); we’ll be dropping hints throughout the day on our…
Riot Fest’s Shitty Merch Dump is Here
Scoop up some fresh new drip (including a limited-edition toilet seat) via RiotBrand.orgNo matter what we do, who we book, or how much we please you people, there’s always someone who sees our lineup and says the same thing every year: “It’s shit.” So today, Chicago’s #2 Music Festival is proud to present the “It’s Shit!” Merch Dump, featuring a collection of new designs—and some very-limited, yes-we-really-made-them…
