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WLUW chit-chat patty wacked with Cleo Tucker and Harmony Trividad of the folk-rock band, Girlpool. They’ve been on a U.S. tour after releasing their second album, Powerplant, and make their way to Chicago on October 25 at the Logan Square Auditorium.

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

M: How ya guys doing today?

C: I feel good, I just had tomato soup

M: Aw nice nice. What’d you have for lunch Harmony?

C: Harmony didn’t eat yet, she made some ramen this morning.

M: Ooh breakfast ramen. Where are you on your tour right now?

C: Heading to Iowa, and just left Kansas

M: How’s touring been?

C: You know what? It’s been full of… surprises

M: Can you elaborate?

C: I got my wisdom teeth out maybe t-minus 4 days ago. It’s been crazy, honestly. I can’t really open my mouth all of the way, the side effects of the pain medication is kind of altering the energy in the tour van

M: Oh my god i’m so sorry, that sucks.

C: It’s pretty weird. I’m just kind of going with it

M: I wish you fast healing in that process.

C: Thank you. Thank you Madeline

M: What show has been your favorite and why?

C: Boise was cool, wait no that wasn’t my favorite. I think Reno was my favorite.

H: I’m trying to think, you know it’s been a fun tour. Last night was quite pleasant. I think Denver was my favorite for sure.

M: Why’s that?

H: It was just a really good vibe at the show, it was popping perhaps. A popping gig. I don’t know I had a pleasant time. I had a really nice thing of ice cream with my friend Megan that night. We shared a basil blackberry Earl Grey shortbread combo ice cream. It was really really incredible.

M: Never even heard of that, that is extremely pleasant. Have you guys been writing any songs on tour?

C: We’re not able to write any music on tour usually because we don’t have the time. We wrote one song on tour once.

M: What has been your go-to car music?

C: Go to car music…SZA. Megan showed me SZA

M: So good. Ctrl.

C: Sooo good.

M: Would you collab with SZA if you could?

C: My god. That’d be cool.

M: What did you listen to growing up as a kid?

C: I listened to a lot of Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith,Neil Young, and was really into the Bright Eyes band in middle school and in high school. I got really into folk punk. I liked punk music, I really liked The Germs in middle school. I’ve always really been into hip-hop and rap music too. I kind of like a lot of stuff of wide selection. My mom really likes funk music so I’d listen to funk, B.B. King too.

H: Music I loved as a child. It all started with The Beatles, then it was ABBA. My first concert was Queen in 2005 with Paul Rogers leading the band. I loved Queen. Then I loved Elliott Smith and Bright Eyes, and Vashti Bunyan. And as I continue to grow as a person I develop new favorites everyday.

C: My favorite guitar player in the world is Harmony Trividad!

M: Awww haha

C: Harmony just said that...

M: Going off that, have you guys felt like you have grown as musicians?

C: Definitely, everyday. Yeah totally I think that honesty I was talking to my Dad about this the other day because Tom Petty died. I loved Tom Petty’s guitar playing. And I used to play ‘Breakdown’ on guitar all the time, that was one of the first guitar solos that I really learned, and he was talking to me about how he saw my play in Girlpool recently and he was like “ you’ve just gotten so much better at guitar” and I was like it’s weird because I felt like I reached this plateau of guitar playing where I just know what I’m comfortable doing but I think that honestly playing every single day, even if it’s the same SHIT, you just get stronger. You feel more comfortable and ya know ‘in it’ or whatever. I’d love to take a class though of a different type of guitar playing. I think that’d be cool. I really wanna learn piano. But I also learn a lot from Harmony. She’s my favorite guitar player in the world.

M: Did you teach yourself growing up?

C: No I had Marcus Watkins, a sweet person on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, California teach me guitar. He’s cool, I messaged him on Facebook recently and he had a kid. Adams Music was the name of the guitar shop. I got my first guitar at Toyorama, this really cool toystore in Westwood that closed down. Harmony want to talk about your experience?

H: Well, hm. I was choir kid and loved music theory, and then my uncle sent me a guitar that he had white-outed my name onto that said ‘Harmony’ and it had little flowers on it when I was 13. And I started playing acoustic guitar and learned ‘First Day Of My Life’ by Bright Eyes on it, and ever since that day… you know, it’s been a pretty wild few years and I think I have learned a lot through….. You know I feel like Cleo and I are basically married. Creatively married, and, you know in any relationship of any sort you grow together and I feel like we have learned a lot through and with eachmother and bounced ideas off of each other and expanded each other’s perspectives on things. I think so much of everything is perspective, so I feel like it’s even less about the physical action and more about the perspective on the physical action. So I feel like a lot of my views on how I play guitar, how I play music, has changed because of my perspective on what makes music good, and being less judgemental about what makes art good, and if things I make are good or not, you know, just feeling like good about the thing in it of itself because it’s existence is solely enough, you know.

M: Yeah it can be hard to put yourself out there. Do you feel like it’s easier because you have this solidified band?

H: Honestly I don’t know because I feel like it’s a daily thing, like– wow sorry, I’m driving really bad suddenly and everyone’s mad at me haha. I think it’s just like when I can be my most honest I make things that I feel best about. But sometimes you don’t get to being the most honest for a while. It’s just all process. Processing and I don’t know, not being judgemental but then also having to be judgemental to get to the honest moment where you’re not judging, and then… I don’t know I feel like everything in life is just about constantly uncovering truth, and then hiding it again and then uncovering it again…. I feel like that is what resonates with me creatively, also. I dont’ know if that makes sense.

M: Yeah yeah I’m following. Are most of the songs on your album personal stories?

H: I think most of the music that Cleo and I write are glimpses into a feeling or an idea, not usually super explicit about anything in particular but sometimes it may encapsulate different experiences.

M: Can you tell me what Fast Dust is about?

C: It’s about a person and then resenting how ginormous a feeling I had was because it was like debilitating and holding me back from feeling free, because I felt so confined in this giant emotion that was consuming me. And the song is about needing to breakout of feeling imprisoned by my own love for somebody, and creating meaning for something, creating a new, big moment to look at.

M: Thanks, good to know.

C:Sure thing

M: If you were a breed of dog what would you be?

C: THAT’S the question.

C: To be honest with you ( I’m going to be honest with you) I think I have a Pitbull vibe. But my favorite dogs are English Bull Terriers with the sharkheads and when I see dogs like that I really get worked up and I have like a really intense experience because I really see myself in their behavior and like their physicality and the way they get rambunctious, the way that they move their head, that’s really how I feel.

H: Dogs. I have a lot of feelings about dogs. I love a mutt Terrier.

M: You can be purebred or a mutt

H: I feel definitely like a mutt. I’m just trying to think what mutt I would be. I guess I probably am a terrier mutt. My dog Lucky, my first dog, I got him when I was in fourth grade and he would prance around and the terrier nose is really special and he was just like joyous and gleeful and had a lot of energy, and had really sad eyes. And I really relate to that experience haha.

M: What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home from tour?

H: I’m honestly not sure, probably shower honestly. Probably take a really intense shower. That’s what I’m about right now. I’ve been smelling horrible everyday, the most toxic smell. And I don’t know hot to make it stop. It’s really tragic.

C: First thing I’m going to do when I get home is take off my tennis shoes, and probably get really comfortable. Eat something good, have some coffee, and hug my loved ones.

M: Aw well thank you so much you guys. Have a good tour and I hope you get to all of your places safely

H: Thank you so much, have a good day. Thank you very much. Cleo say thank you

WLUW got a chance to chat with Angus Andrews of the experimental noise rock project, Liars. His album, TFCF, was released this past September and commemorates the split of his band mates via harsh electronic and grunge layering.

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

M: How’s your day?

A: Not bad, hot as hell

M: How do you feel about your set?

A: It was fun, yeah. Nearly killed me but it was still good. I like to think of the crowd in these situations because I don’t think they know who we are. So it’s fun. You think of what they’re listening to at home and then you’re like ughhh they’re not gonna like this.

M: What do you like about performing?

A: Complete freedom, you know? It’s just that idea of losing consciousness. I like to think of sports players who just do things naturally and that’s kind of how I feel. Things happen and I love that space.

M: When did you decide you wanted to do music?

A: I was at art school and the music students would play the art openings and they played this horrible, really technical jazz and stuff like that and I was like, f--k, I’m just gonna play noise. So it’s always been from my art side. I was at Cal Arts and they were super into cross-contamination.

M: What are your musical influences?

A: At the moment, vaporwave. It’s like people who make records and don’t really want to sell them. I don’t know I like the idea of people making things without really thinking they need to be praised for it.

M: Like the anonymity of electronic music?

A: Exactly exactly. You know Vektroid?

M: No.

A: Check it out it’s this girl who makes so many records, and she’s super young, and I don’t think she sells them (I don’t know maybe on band camp).

M: How do you feel about separating yourself from your music? Is it an alter ego or is it you?

A: Me is not one-dimensional, like everyone else. Everyone has different sides to them and you know, obviously music or art is a place where you can let out a certain side of you that you don’t get to let out everyday, and that’s the best thing about it, right?

M: How is this album different, I know that your band mates split up. Did you feel like it was cathartic writing the album it or was it a relief (being on your own)?

A: Interesting word. You know people have asked me in the past if writing records were cathartic, or if making art was cathartic, and I never felt that way. I always felt like it was magnifying my feelings, just more intensely. But this is the first record I actually will say it was cathartic. I went through some shit, and it was dark, and I made it a really personal record and now I’m talking to you and I feel like it’s changed. You know I feel really good.

M: How long were you together with your band members?

A: Oh my god, Aaron who was my partner basically, my husband, my wife, for you know… 15 years. Our whole relationship was not really on collaboration but more the idea of like critiquing each other, so I always worked alone but I always had him to tell me if it was good or not. So now instead you just gotta go, okay I made it so that’s gonna be what it is. And it’s really scary, but then again I always thought that the scary, creative decisions are the best ones. You know, you shouldn’t feel confident, you should always be like, oh my god I’m really nervous about letting people see this.

M: Thanks for sharing that. What’s one song that you wish you wrote?

A: Oh god. What I’ll tell you just jumped in my head but it’s a horrible thing, “pour some sugar on me”. That’s horrible but that’s what got in my head so I’m going to stick with that.

M: Hahaha. Do you have any pre-show rituals?

A: Oh yeah, I mean I’m all about being alone, and I like to have loud music. Those two things are really important to me.

M: How did you go about writing? Where were you?

A: I was in the bush, in Australia, living in a national park where you can only access by boat. So I was super isolated and just in a little shack in the woods, and yeah I mean it’s paradise basically, yeah.

M: Damn, what was your day-to-day ritual there?

A: Boating, a lot of boating. And maintenance, you know you gotta catch your own rainwater for everything, so you have to always be like making sure your tanks are working. You don’t spend a lot of time hanging out.

M: You have phone service or internet?

A: Yeah, slow ass internet. As slow as you can get. And so things that were important before, like knowing what’s going on in the geopolitical world suddenly begins like well I don’t know, I actually don’t miss knowing whether or not Trump is doing something. It’s interesting, I used to be a super fan of the L.A. Clippers, and I’m still a fan but I actually don’t care anymore, you know which is weird. I used to go to games when I was living in L.A. and be really into it, and then I moved there and it’s like, well the tides are really important to me.

M: Interesting, yeah I’m sure that shifted your perspective a lot. How is it being in civilization again?

A: It’s weird. I stay in hotels, big hotels, and I sit there in the bathroom and I think about all the water that’s running through the hotel at any one time and it blows my mind, because at my house, you really have to think about how much water you’re using.

* Co-interviewer Frankie then arrived

F: Who did your cover art for your newest album?

A: Oh you know it’s funny, my wife styled the shoot, and her best friend shot the photo but it was my idea.

F: I love it, it’s so seductive and it draws you to the album.

A: Yeah, I did an interview with someone from France and they were like, ‘you know, if people can get past the album cover, then they might like the music.’

F: Do you find any inspiration from that Bowie cover? That’s what drew the reminder for me

A: Oh cool. Well the thing that’s good with any artwork is that it’s iconic. With an album cover that’s what you’re trying to shoot for. The last album cover I did was the Mess one, which was a lot of colorful strings. It’s a branding thing. I don’t want to put it in those terms but it’s an idea that your pairing the album with a visual image, it’s important.

M: Do you have advice for musicians, or anyone?

A: If you’re trying to be a creative in any sort of form you got to make a lot of stuff. Don’t feel like you’ve made 8 songs and then cool, like you just got to keep doing it.

This year, WLUW returned to Riot Fest in Douglas Park for a packed weekend of rioting. We covered some of the highlights from the fest below, but stay tuned for more coverage and photos posted on our social media accounts.

Queens of the Stone Age

Kicking off their set with songs from their latest album, Queens of the Stone Age, fronted by the King of the Wild West himself, Josh Homme, clad in a plaid flannel, reeled the crowd in closer and closer with each strum of his guitar, as the light show providing support to QOTSA's performance pulled that imaginary rope even tighter. Josh teased the crowd, singing songs like an earlier artist from the day, Danzig's tune “Mother”. Every song bled seamlessly within one another, with the absolute power of their instruments and supporting devices. It wasn't until Homme uttered the lyrics of the new album's single Feet Don't Fail Me, did the crowd realize the next song. Josh was poetic with his comments in between songs, with his comments such "Five minutes ago will always remain five minutes ago, and 5 minutes from now will always remain in the future, and it will remain unsure. Right now is all we have, and we'll have it together", before starting an oldie, Smooth Sailing. After performing more songs from their latest album, QOTSA shredded into No One Knows, as the cameras were so heavily focused on Josh's foot trembling under his set of pedals. A slew of older songs, with one of my groovy favorites, and definitely a favorite with the rest of the crowd, "I Wanna Make It Wit Chu" prevailed as Josh took a drag from his cigarette in between lines, and rest of the band followed with backing vocals. The guitar riffs for the rest of the set continued to pulse through each audience member with such force and vigor as they relived years of their past music, with guitar and drum solos to make any fan happy. Closing their set, QOTSA definitely showed Chicago as much love as they could.

-Austin Edington

Liars

Laden in all white skirt and shirt combo, Angus Andrews of Liars strutted across the riot main stage Friday performing mostly older material and a few songs from his latest, TFCF. The sun was hot as hell and I was eager to see how the experimental project would execute the complex layering of sounds. Angus played a synth board while two in the back ripped on a filtered guitar and drums. The intense release of self was channeled through droning vocals, body thrashing and hair whipping. All appropriate considering the content on his new work commemorates the 15-year ending of a creative relationship with his band mate. The energy was thick and the crowd in the front was totally entranced by his dark and erratic set.

-Madeline Wakenight

Beach Slang

Adorned in his usual attire of a bowtie, and his corduroy pants, Beach Slang played early in the day, bringing donuts for some lucky attendees to "help sober up the lousy hungover animals". Doing exactly what they set out to do, Beach Slang punched Chicago right in the heart with their fast, melodic tunes, accompanied by their stomach-turning lyrics, reminding the audience of the emotions we all feel, as the lead singer practically made love to the microphone. Covering Santana's Smooth half-way through their set, the lead singer James reminded the audience that Beach Slang will never be professional, as they always have been. Spin the Dial hit to the crowd like a ball of lead, kickstarting a wave of moshing and failed attempts at crowdsurfing. James drank throughout Beach Slang’s set, as the heat of the early afternoon laid like a shroud over everyone present. However, despite the heat and a few minor technical difficulties, the audience and the band, remained supportive, with a wave of chants aimed towards the road manager. Having fun with their last part of their show, they covered bits of Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” with a poor and joking remix of the lyrics, the beginning of RHCP’s “Give It Away”, and finally with more of a serious, dedicated tone, the entirety of “Where Is My Mind” from the Pixies.

-Austin Edington

TV On The Radio

TV on the Radio took the stage as the sun was setting, and their dreamy melodies quickly drew the audience in like a magnetic pull, as more and more people filled in to see the power and good vibrations, making every piece of the puzzle a picturesque experience. Those smooth vibes didn't last, as the band propelled themselves into harder tracks such as "Lazerray", further proving the awesome talent of each member of the band, making the bigger picture of TV On The Radio a match made in rock and roll heaven. The chunky bass lines preluding a number of their songs laid a heavy foundation for each song as TV On The Radio mastered a wide range of genres, from blues rock, to new wave, to indie, providing to be pleasing to the ear for each member of the crowd. For those in the audience who weren't fans before seeing them, TV on the Radio ensured with combined ethereal skill, that everyone walked away happy by the end of their set.

-Austin Edington

Built to Spill

When I first saw that Built to Spill was playing Riot Fest, I was pretty stoked. To then see that they will be playing my favorite Built to Spill record in its entirety (Keep It Like a Secret), I just about lost my mind. What I didn’t expect was that they performed as a trio, as opposed to the usual 5-piece. Questioning what the show would sound like with limited instrumentation, they kicked off their album celebration with “The Plan” with a full sound. During the set, singer/guitarist Doug Martsch took over the performance with guitar solos, guitar loops and pedal experimentation to fill in the missing pieces that the full band would have had. The crowd reaction included a lot of jumping in excitement as the band went from track to track, including their arguably most popular song “Carry the Zero”. Unlike some other full album performances at Riot Fest this year, Built to Spill didn’t end up playing anything else from their discography at the festival, however, they had some time for those other fan-favorites at their Riot Fest Late-Night show the night before with Dinosaur Jr.

-Paul Quinn

New Order

One of the main attractions of this year’s Riot Fest was New Order, who was sandwiched between Ministry and Nine Inch Nails on Friday. A huge takeaway from their performance was covering two Joy Division songs: "Disorder", which played second in their set, and "Love Will Tear Us Apart", which was played as the encore of the evening. With having a set that totaled eleven songs, fans watching the performance were left with wanting more (Age of Consent would have been nice to hear), however, it did seem like most attendees were hanging out and waiting for Nine Inch Nails to close out the night.

-Paul Quinn

Dinosaur Jr

Dinosaur Jr. put on one of the most underrated performances at this year’s Riot Fest, with covers by The Cure (Just Like Heaven), Deep Wound (Training Ground), and Last Rights (Chunks). The biggest aspect of their set was that they also were celebrating an album at Riot Fest that they played in full: You’re Living All Over Me, which turned 30 years old this year. J. Mascis and his group put on an amazing show for all the Jawbreaker fans trying to get a good spot for their reunion.

-Paul Quinn

Bad Brains

Yes, Bad Brains played Riot Fest. Yes, they had their original line-up. And, yes, they still play hardcore punk music. This was one of the first shows since frontman/legend H.R. had brain surgery (seriously) after dealing with SUNCT, which is a neurological condition that will give you harsh headaches, randomly, at all times of the day. Making a full recovery from the surgery, the hardcore reggae punks played a scorching set including “Banned in D.C.”, “Attitude”, “Pay to Cum”. To really cap off their set, the highly influential punk band brought out the singer from Lamb of God, Randy Blythe, to finish the set.

-Paul Quinn

Buzzcocks

The one and only Buzzcocks were also included on the packed Riot Fest line-up, and brought a wave of nostalgic punk tunes on the first day. With an earlier set time, fans were still rolling in and probably stayed at the same stage for the rest of the day (X, Death From Above, Ministry, and Nine Inch Nails all followed). With only half of their original line-up, the Buzzcocks proved to fans that they can still play punk rock music and compete with the bands who were more than half their age. Having Buzzcocks on the line-up really proves that Riot Fest is the grown-up version of Vans Warped Tour.

-Paul Quinn

Best Coast

Not sure what was more majestic during Best Coast’s set this past Sunday evening; their music playing through the speakers on the Radicals Stage, or their beautiful hair flowing in the wind. It is hard to describe Best Coast’s effortless musicianship and their captivating stage presence, but we will give it our best shot. By opening with “Bratty B,” lead singer Bethany Cosentino instantly welcomed the crowd into an intimate look at her world. Filled with witty and outspoken lyrics, Best Coast’s music makes you feel as though you’re driving down the highway on a warm summer night. Crowd favorites included “Crazy for You” and “Feeling OK,” which were preceded by Cosentino reminding the crowd to simply be kind to one another and accept everyone for who they are. Best Coast’s performance was a refreshing change of pace during Riot Fest’s upbeat weekend.

-Chloe Churukian & Olivia Cerza

M.I.A.

After being hyped up by DJ Tyga, M.I.A. came on in a black and orange “Fly Pirates” jumpsuit with her dance crew. Coming at a fully amped crowd, Sri Lankan born and London raised, M.I.A. opened her set with 2016’s politically charged track, “Borders.” The crowd felt like a high-energy dance party with M.I.A. returning the energy. From climbing her set, to climbing into the crowd, this lady didn’t stop moving.

-Frankie Diemer

Peaches
The Teaches of Peaches

Performing shirtless is not Peaches main *shock* factor, or her main point. Transcending gender norms in her power pop music through explosive and explicit lyrics like “F*** The Pain Away” and “D*** In The Air”, Peaches amplifies the voice of female sexuality and empowerment. What’s in The Teaches of Peaches? Explosive language and poignant sexual empowerment.

-Frankie Diemer

Vic Mensa

The first word that comes to mind when thinking about Vic Mensa’s performance this weekend at Riot Fest is “storyteller.” Turning inward during his Friday night set, Mensa told bone-chilling tales about Chicago’s gun violence that hit close to home. The Hyde Park native opened up about losing his older brother to gang violence, putting his heart on the stage and dedicating “Heaven on Earth” to him. However, Mensa did not fail in getting the crowd charged up with club hits like, “U Mad,” truly showing his musical range within those seemingly short 60 minutes. The simple pleasure one gets from listening to Mensa’s versatile and emotionally honest raps is something next-level; especially when you’re hearing it live.

-Chloe Churukian & Frankie Diemer

Paramore

Paramore’s performance was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my weekend. Goddess (and frontwoman) Hayley Williams’ passion and energy was infectious, which was made apparent through the crowd’s constant excitement. As their set flowed seamlessly from old to new songs, Paramore didn’t disappoint in any way. Classics like “Brick by Boring Brick” and “Ignorance” ignited a nostalgic fury within the crowd, while newer songs including “Forgiveness” and “Hard Times” reminded everyone that Paramore is not defined solely by music they released years ago. During her introduction for “Misery Business,” Williams asked the members of the audience to close their eyes and imagine the person that they were 10 years prior. By acknowledging all of the growth the crowd and Williams had undergone in the past 10 years, “Misery Business” became an anthem of empowerment and new beginnings. Before closing their set with “Rose-Colored Boy,” Williams described Riot Fest as a positive and essential celebration of music and expressed that she was very excited for Paramore to have been a part of it. I could not agree more.

-Olivia Cerza

Cap’n Jazz

Cap’n Jazz’s fun and sloppy performance was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Although the band was only able to release one studio album in 1995 before breaking up, their influence on the formation of the Midwestern emo scene is undeniably important. It’s been over two decades since Cap’n Jazz has released any new music, but it seems as if this year’s Riot Fest would not have been the same without them. Right off the bat, these Chicago natives opened their set with “Oh Messy Life,” an ode to adolescence which perfectly embodies the essence of the group. Between songs, singer Tim Kinsella shared witty remarks, drunken stories, and spontaneous interactions with the crowd, which constantly kept the audience on their toes. The set also included passionate performances of “Little League” and “Puddle Splashers,” as well as a memorable rendition of A-Ha’s classic, “Take on Me.” With their fascinating music choices, endearing personalities, and timeless spirit, Cap’n Jazz claimed their spot as one of the most memorable performances throughout the weekend.

-Oliva Cerza

The Regrettes

While only giving this band a 30-minute set was a criminal offense, The Regrettes jam-packed every second of their memorable performance with great music and love. Kicking off their show with “I Don’t Like You” immediately created a fun and electric atmosphere. This band's energy is contagious. Lead singer Lydia Night dedicated "Seashore" to Donald Trump, as well as all of the "mini little Trumps" we face every day in our own personal lives. The many mosh pits (including Night’s specific request for the audience to participate in a “Wall of Death,” which was when Olivia’s life flashed before her eyes) were matched with The Regrettes’ upbeat and groovy tunes. The crowd’s excitement was reciprocated by the members of the band as they danced and sweat along with us. The humid heat and insane amounts of dust in the air didn’t slow this showdown, as the crowd (and especially Austin) continuously talked back and forth with Night and bassist Sage Chavis in between songs. As the show came to a close, The Regrettes gave a sneak peek into their upcoming projects by sharing a new song.

-Olivia Cerza & Austin Edington

Action Bronson

From the first "put your motherf***ing hands up", Action Bronson kept his flow going his whole set smoother than country crock butter. Following up with his second song "The Chairman’s Intent", a fan favorite, fans waived his book "F**k, That's Delicious" in the air the whole time. Stopping his set to tell the crowd to "grab their groin for this nasty beat", Action is nothing short of a performer. Commanding every beat with a phone, Action had control over the crowd, preluding every song with laughable comments to keep the vibe going, from "shake ya ass for this one", to "put your middle fingers up for this one". Action's lyrics, as he comments, are all spoken with a serious air of passion, discussing his own personal struggles such as "I would give my right lung if I could dunk just one time", or him repeating "don't hurt me again, don't hurt me again..." Smoke billowed through the crowd the whole set, as if when Action demanded that the crowd to “spark up”, he ignited an army of fog machines to pursue over the skyline in the distance. Restarting “9-24-7000” because he was unimpressed with his own flow, Action ensured the best for us, only taking a small sip of water before tossing the bottle behind him. Finishing up his last song, Action left the crowd wanting for more as he chanted "Ride that Harley into the sunset", throwing the mic in the air, Bronson walked off the stage, taking his last words' advice.

-Austin Edington

Jawbreaker

So THIS was the performance that ended Riot Fest. THIS was the band that Riot Fest magically brought back together. Jawbreaker, an late 80s and early 90s punk band from California who has toured with Nirvana and Green Day, were making their third performance in only 21 years, where they had two small warm-up gigs earlier this summer. Kicking things off with Boxcar (1234 who’s punk, what’s the score?), Jawbreaker kicked off an electric, high-energy set full of fan favorites. This was easily one of the best performances all weekend.

-Paul Quinn

Thank you Riot Fest for putting on such a show. We'll be back next year ~~