4 New Bands at Riot Fest – Day 1

Riot Fest

Chicago – For as much as Chicagoans want to hold onto summer, the first day of Riot Fest proved it is officially gone. Gloves, hats, and scarves were the accessory of the day in Humboldt Park, where rain fell all day and temps dropped to the 40s. However, Riot Fest’s tenth anniversary. We’ve ID’d four exciting new bands to introduce you to:

¡Vamos!

Vamos live

Over at Red Bull’s Radical Stage, Chicago band ¡Vamos! kicked the day off with their party punk. Guitarist Ryan Murphy, bassist Will Wood, and drummer Josh Lambert make up this DIY trio, who’ve become a staple around Chicago, often performing at The Empty Bottle. ¡Vamos! was among a handful of local up and coming bands hand-picked by Riot Fest and The Empty Bottle. ¡Vamos! did not disappoint, thrashing around stage to songs like “Feelmonger” off the EP Midwaste.

Wounds

Wounds live

The Irish rockers of Wounds also hit up the Radical Stage. These guys are crazy! Which makes them all the more fun to watch. Lead singer Aidan joked that they brought the rain with them from Dublin. What they definitely brought was a rowdy crowd. Between the headbangers, a group of guys could be seen moshing in the mud. Aidan noticed them and demanded that the crowd “give it up for those guys!” Between their humorous musings, the guys of Wounds bounced around the stage to “Pile” and “No Future.” While Aidan screamed and shook his hips like Elvis, his brother James violated his guitar. Man, can that boy riff! I chatted with Aidan about his talented brother James and their LP, Die Young. Stay tuned for the interview!

From Indian Lakes

From Indian Lakes live

Over at the Revolt Stage, the California five-piece From Indian Lakes calmed things down with their indie folk rock. During “Stay Outside,” the band was bathed in blue lights, intensifying the tranquil ambiance. Lead singer Joey Vannucchi humbly whispered into his mic, “We have a new record coming out in like a week or two, so we’re gonna play some new jams. I hope you like them.” Applause filled the shaded green. From Indian Lakes will be releasing their fourth album, Absent Sounds, on October 7 through Triple Crown Records. It features the wonderful single “Sleeping Limbs.”

Radkey

Radkey live

The award for the best new band of the day goes to Radkey. These three Missouri brothers killed it! Dee, Isaiah, and Solomon pulled in a massive crowd at the Radical Stage. People were jumping up and down, singing along word for word to “Feed My Brain” and “Cat & Mouse.” Between songs Isaiah tossed in his two cents and some laughter. He noted that Chicago is one of their “good cities” with “good fans.” When introducing “Romance Dawn,” he said, “This song is like one of those folk-rock songs you can sing along to. The word is ‘hey,’ and if you sing along, we’ll be more sexually attracted to you!” The Radke brothers are a hoot! Keep an eye out for my upcoming interview with Radkey.

There’s still two more days left of Riot Fest, and Saturday is sure to be a winner with tons of new bands. Keep up with all the latest news from Riot Fest on twitter, and tweet your Riot Fest new band discoveries to BestNewBands!

Photos By Sarah Hess

Sarah Hess

Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.


You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
Sarah Hess

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